Swan at Lake Ralphine

Today is the first day of autumn.
It is still warm,
but there is a certain cast to the light.
The days are shorter, closing in
with a final blaze of setting sun and cloud.
The foliage is flaming,
leaves falling lazily to the ground,
in the still air.
A pair of swans swim with their cygnets,
almost as big as their parents,
and as grey as the misty morning sky.
White feathers float,
in the still water.
Fungus resembling a stack of pancakes
spring from  a tree trunk.
Delicate ruffles grow from rotted logs,
edged in white lace.
Acorns rain from the oak trees,
hoarded by squirrels and woodpeckers.
There is a hush of anticipation
as summer takes its leave.