fire before the silence: Poetry inspired by fall and Thoreau

Fire before the...........................Silence 

I will not go without a bang

I will not go gently into that good night

I will not lay down without a word

I will not fold my hands over my breast to wait

I will not don black or gray

I will not grow silent that they forget me before I leave

I will not die in such a way

I will do as the trees do

I will embrace the fire that is my age

I will stand tall in scarlet gold and orange

I will not feel my limbs grow cold clothed so

I will dance rather then just stand and wait

I will toss my head again and flirt and laugh  

I will not fear the feeling of my mantle drying up

I will do as the trees do

I will not more when my final fling ends

I will not pine for gold and red when brown does come

I will not hold any regrets as my garments blow away 

I will remember the glory of gold

I will not bend or stoop

I will not hide my nakedness when death comes for me

I will spread my arms to enfold the sky, knowing I lived before I died

I will stand unmoved as the cold sweeps me up

Just as the trees do