Quercus leaves fall on cracked midway paint
Roots remember what steel rails feign
Chlorophyll fades to copper stain
Dormancy waits in each vein
Buff the hide while Ferris sleeps
Autumn keeps what summer keeps
Wax and time on worn leather seams
Dreams are stitched in quiet seams
Awl slides slow through seasoned grain
Rain soaked boards now dry and plain
Last shaped foot that walked the lane
Ghost of gait in sole remains
Buff the hide while Ferris sleeps
Autumn keeps what summer keeps
Wax and time on worn leather seams
Dreams are stitched in quiet seams
Acer saccharum drops its keys
Wind sorts them on rusted breeze
Carousel horses catch the freeze
Sap retreats to root decrees
Patience measured in ring and wear
Polish builds what years declare
Hands that know the grain and tear
Season turns, the work is there
Thread pulled tight through punched holes clean
Strongest bond the eye has seen
Maple dust on darkened green
Boot shaped for a walk unseen
Buff the hide while Ferris sleeps
Autumn keeps what summer keeps
Wax and time on worn leather seams
Dreams are stitched in quiet seams
Root and leather, grain and skin
Winter waits to let begin
Craft and growth are kith and kin
Quiet hands where light walks in
Buff the hide while Ferris sleeps
Autumn keeps what summer keeps
Wax and time on worn leather seams
Dreams are stitched in quiet seams
Final pass on worn leather seams
Polish catches final gleam
Rest now, root and leather seam
