Light Escapes Us

Is it too much to simply decompress
as these days of summer bleed
from my chilly skin,

a gentle lancing of the hot
raised places that will not heal?

Is it not enough to malinger
when it is indisputable
that the light escapes us
with each leaf that falls
and mildew begins to repossess
the cells of that new body?

It is grief that has taken my hand again
and asks me to walk slowly
on a lane near heart's abandoned home,
marveling with each step
at all these beautiful losses.