Residue

The wind leaves residues of autumn in my hair,
Like her smile left residues of loneliness.
When I walk and the leaves crunch beneath me,
They say, "Don't forget me! I was beautiful once!"
How does one forget if the weather never fails
To turn my knees and face cold this time of year?
The trees must be so lonely without their hair,
Indeed, how do they carry on, naked and empty?
They await the eternal spring which never comes.
I wait with them -- "I've been through this before."
Where did you go? Where have you gone? Alone?
The earth and the sun have conspired in absence,
My heart grows weary; or, weary grows on it.
For her smile showed me the summer once,
Which I will not forget when the snows come.