Choices, Chances and Changes

By: Ana Mariela

I stand where autumn’s gold leaves drift,

A season of endings, a moment to lift.

The garden whispers, the winds confide,

All that was nurtured still lives inside.

 

 To the seeds, the wisdom sown,

Patient hands, love unknown.

Never rushed, but placed with care,

Teaching me that strength grows there.

 

 To the soil, steadfast and deep,

Holding my dreams, the faith I keep.

Through storms and doubt, you stood so true,

Reminding me what roots can do.

 

 To the flowers, hope’s gentle call,

Blooming bright though winds may fall.

Fragile petals, yet they remain,

Soft reminders through joy and pain.

 

To the trees, the dreams held high,

Unbowed beneath the weeping sky.

Through raging storms, through winds that bend,

They stand, they grow, they never end.

 

 To the garden, fierce and wide,

A mother’s strength, a love untied.

Even from far, you shielded me,

Through every trial, through winds set free.

 

 Now autumn hums its quiet refrain,

Leaves may fall, but love remains.

I step forward, not to forget,

But to carry lessons—no regret.

 

 And with each leaf that finds the ground,

I whisper softly, still unbound—

I will nurture, I will grow,

Someday, I will be the garden too.

 

 

Autumn, 2025