I watch the Sumac for signs of taking leave
it’s true the top leaves of the Maple are turning
but the Sumac is my confirmation of Autumn
Berries past ripe, small clusters of rubies losing luster
with compound leaves turning redder than its berries
becoming a burning bush sacrificing the green of summer
Migrating monarchs rest here within this receding
amid branches of the diminishing Sumac, camping out
in Autumn’s dimming light before following shadows
Patricia Carney
Patricia Carney lives and writes along the South Shore of Lake Michigan in Cudahy, WI. She is a member of the WI Fellowship of Poets and the South Shore Poets. She is published throughout the Midwest and has authored three chapbooks, most recently, A Kayak is My Church Pew (Kelsay Press, 2021). Carney has also published a novel, Community Service On Planet Weirdo and her second is due to be published by next year: Grandmother Carried Her Pearls.
Portage Magazine 