A leafless limb drops at the feet of a hiker
trying to remember where he started out
He places it on a demilune in the hallway of his house
as a reminder of this cold autumn afternoon
and a trophy awarded to him by nature
for the courage he has shown
on his journey back
into the crazy wild wind
Its fine stark branches flare in a shadow
against the barren white wall,
a tumbleweed of the air that rolled towards him
and held against his shins
He carried it home in both arms as he would
a living thing gone far too long