Aspen

Here in Cripple Creek 
At ten thousand feet 
It's hard to catch your breath 

October and we New Englanders 
Are used to shades 
Of reds and golds and browns 

These mountains have evergreens 
And here and there aspens 
Yellow dancers wearing

Shimmering amarillo flapper gowns  
Sequins flashing in afternoon sun
Their beauty seducing my eyes

Next day in Boulder 
At a service for my aunt and uncle
We stand silent in the cemetery where their urns 

Will be buried side by side, where the bugler
Sounds Taps and soldiers fold the flag 
In a green valley surrounded 

By the brown Mountains 
Covered in green fir patches 
Everywhere the yellow aspens glistening 


(First published in The Universes - 2026)