poem: leaves like stained glass

Hidden under a canopy of October’s tree:
She looked up to see radiant red, yellow,
And orange mixed with green. Lighted leaves
With vibrant glow, they laughed with the wind.

And then she asked:

How can he
see through me

like the sun through these
autumn leaves, like stained-glass
saints in the sanctuary, illuminated
for everyone else to see? Their beauty
revealed by his brilliance.

Now she squints in the tinted light
That weaves through branches to touch
Her forehead. She’s exposed

And she is loved.


~rjr