Stale autumn leaves
When death becomes life
Through the soil, to the future

When hope springs from tragedy
When isolation creates togetherness
When listening is birthed from deafness
The deafness of others
To hear their own pain
To feel their own shame

It stays buried, until it germinates
Like a seed in the right conditions
Then through roots, it grows and lives

Shame becomes alive again
Living the seasons, learning the lessons
That others failed to teach
The paradoxes of living
The beauty of autumn