Two Views of November

1.

I’m sad today or disappointed:
Sun dime-sized, obscured by gray–
Fog, mist, and clouds– one thick layer.
Heads down, the people passing on
Or will soon. Loneliness much worse
Than I foresaw. I knew all this
So why despair? It’s how
The colors fade and hope retreats.
Never satisfied, wanting more,
Rejecting loss– when loss is what we have.

2.

Unexpected reds rise from the dun
And gray, scumbled branches newly bare.
They say the best of autumn’s past and done,
But I say this November’s blue and sun–
A day completely new, both rich and spare–
Is fine as any splendor I can bear.