Long Goodbye

Like a long goodbye,
the last day of summer,
autumn’s coffin brought
a funeral feeling on its

first day. I had a slow
heart beat and the sound
was deaf. All the leaves
began to fall. I longed

for frozen winter snow.
I discovered hell on earth,
like being forced to work
outside in a winter storm.

My body felt like a frozen
piece of meat, like a frost-
bitten toe. Summer’s long
goodbye lingered in shadows.