Poems (Odom)/Disappointed
FALLING LEAVES.
One by one the bright leaves fall From the roses red and the roses white;The violet sweet and the lily tall,The clinging vines on the garden wall— They droop in a single night.
Bright leaves of softly shining green Then crimson, yellow and reddish brownAnd every color and shade are seenIn the forest aisles where death has been, And stricken the leaflets down.
They rustle beneath our heedless feet, And we pass them by with a careless tread,Crushing the fragrance, strangely sweet,From every flower and leaf we meet, In our walk among the dead.
Oh! withered leaves that flutter down From tree and flower and daisy bloom, Shining beneath the autumn's frown,No marble shaft for your renown, Shall rise above your tomb.
Like human hearts that bleed and break In silence underneath the cross—No tear-drop trembles for your sake,No sobbing voice will ever make A requiem for your loss.