A Glade Spun from Gold

 Poem

Leaves drift lazily through the warm air.

The sun glints on the floating shapes briefly,

Painting them in gold.

Petals dapple the floor of the clearing,

A carpet of flowing white.

Rays of golden sunlight sieve through the thick foliage above.

Flowers stretch their heads toward the sky,

Their petals each a drop of sun.

A circle of trees surround the glade,

Silent guardians.

Rustles in the leaves

Signal the approach of a thrush.

The lilting song of the sparrow and the rosy clouds gathering

Tell of the sun’s setting.

Ribbons of light touch the branches orange in the dying glow.

Colors blur into a haze of

Liquid red-orange,

As if the glade had been spun from a spool of sunlight.

Descriptive Paragraph

            Lush leaves swayed above and the thin branches of the willow dragged at the ground, ribbons of velvet, a curtain of foliage. Rising into the air, the rich, loamy aroma of the damp earth dispersed in the soft wind. The tall, wild stalks of grass dipped in the cool rush of air, the green leaves rustling gently and the bright flowers bobbing in the wind, brilliant splotches of color among the green foliage. The dense trees parted to reveal a rushing stream meandering through the woods; the crystal-clear water leaped into the air, each droplet a miniature sparkling, golden sun. Tinged orange, the sky above was a picturesque painting, the puffy, white clouds wisps of cotton candy. Streaks of red shot through the sky, smears of blood, and it looked as if the sky itself were bleeding. The sun, a golden disc of flame high in the sky, had begun to set. Bit by bit, the sun was being swallowed by the earth, engulfed completely. Rays of dying sun-light lit the verdant clearing one final time, bathing it in its incandescent glow, until the whole glade looked as if it were spun from a spool of golden thread. A single rustle shattered the silence, and a leaf drifted down lazily, zigzagging through the still air. As the ribbon of sunlight hit it, the leaf shone as bright as a jewel, coated in gold. But then, light slowly began to seep from the forest, as darkness eagerly slipped in to replace it. Lurking in the gloom, shadows elongated, looming in the swiftly dimming light, sinister. And night rose from its long slumber, still lethargic, but would soon bring upon darkness to the world. A shadow began to creep languidly over the leaf, and for a single moment, light and dark fought for dominance, but the battle did not last, for darkness prevailed. Shadows licked hungrily at it, devouring the leaf completely. The sun lingered and seemed to hover above the horizon for a heartbeat, and then was swallowed. Night had fallen.