Branches crack beneath your step Dawn breaks in, ephemeral A sharp wind taps your back Suggesting your somnambulant drive was correct As your sparse thoughts gather Your ears catch a distant sound And a path made of feathers Points you to your south When your legs start to ache And your breath fails Your sight sets to this frail woman Crowned by nightingales She spots your unease And fires a fierce glare Humble thyself and bow if for your life you care Said calmly, while fidgeting her hair You obey, a second or two delayed Surprised with her dry tone The Queen of Autumn Leaves giggles in her throne Said it's but a jest, come close And so you approach fast Your pace confessing your confusion She sees right through Her mind forging the finest illusion Just for you For you Before you realize, your knees hit the ground Where your last speck of innocence is to be found You look up a gray sky It feels cold, but you're not alone For you see, you're not that different From what falls off these trees You're equivalent to them leaves Just one more to her collection And yet, there's that small fraction That doesn't fret That just lets her have her way And sways to whatever tune she plays Another rebellion gone to waste For some seasons never change