Autumn

Isn’t this the most wonderful thing?
Driving by all these beautiful trees
turning so many wonderful colors,
and the carpet, (that’s a good word isn’t it?)
of leaves everywhere.
Too bad my husband is stuck in his own head.
"Honey look,
isn’t that precious?
Children are jumping in a pile of leaves.
Can you turn the heat up a little
it’s too chilly in here.
When we get home
let’s get the maid
to make one of those piles
and we’ll do a family fall thing."

Where are the cleaners?
I asked for them over a half hour.
Can’t enjoy a good view
with all this junk on the window.
The wife was supposed to double check.
Can't anyone do anything right?
I don’t understand
why they didn’t cut those those trees
those menaces down, years ago.
Only thing they’re good for is
littering the ground once a year.
Who needs a tree that big anyways?
My doctor said I need less stress
and I got to finish these audits
and I can’t even see out the bloody window!
Where are they? I wish they’d hurry up.

You know, as many times as I’ve looked
at that picture on the fireplace,
the one with all my ancestors
when they used to live out on a farm
north of Winnipeg,
there is something I just can’t understand.
"Juanita, can you pass that ski wax over?"
I mean look at it.
It's like Mom and Dad, redux, you know,
but, like, way back in the past.
All that nature and there they are,
looking like it’s the end of the world.
That’s what’s wrong with people.
Don’t look at anything the right way.
It says Autumn, 1896 – Winter Is Coming.
Stark words if you ask me.

I like fall best.
We have Thanksgiving and Halloween.
Christmas is good too,
but I don’t get as much candy.
Mommy wants me to be something
something that isn’t gender
determinator…shun (or something like that)
for Halloween
like, I want to be Malibu Barbie
but she says I should be the Prime Minister
but I don;t want to be.
I saw her costume when we went to yesterday.
My teacher said we can come to class in our costumes.
I know Nicole and Lucy who think they’re so cool
are going to have good costumes.
Mom says I should go outside but I don’t want to
because I want to play here and watch TV.