A poem

Walking the leaf-covered labyrinth

in the declining of the year

the familiar path

the familiar arcs

the turns

the center

are mostly covered over with

fallen

leaves

memories of the summer

hiding the stone

obscuring the separation between

path and path

so that walking the labyrinth

is a test of memory

and attention

the curves are sharper

than you think

it takes effort to stay in the path

to recall it

to find your way along it again

without wandering astray

into an oncoming path

and finding yourself

heading back

when you meant

to go on

you can with effort

discern the lines

and memory is not enough

to go on

finally

you reach the center

and muse on its being

filled with leaves

with memories

with covering and hiding

and you think

some time soon

you’ll need to clear it all away

to make the path clear again

but for now you face about

to return

and remember

that memory is not enough