At this time of year it's possible to see leaves in a different way. I usually think that the natural state for leaves is for them to be attached to a tree, but now that seems as sensible as saying the natural state for a horse is for it to be tethered to a hitching post. It seems that leaves only reveal themselves, show their "leafiness" when they are finally liberated from their mooring on the ends of branches.
On a windy day it gladdens the heart to watch them chase each other down the road. They seem to be in such a hurry to get to wherever it is they think they're going. It is uplifting to drive under a cloud of leaves released by the wind from tall trees. They resemble a swarm of butterflies heading south for the winter.
On a calm New England morning, when the time is right, they just calmly melt off the trees, and drop softly to the ground, like hot wax dripping off a candle. Some of the leaves seem to have figured out that they would be better off indoors out of the cold and damp. They congregate outside our front door at home, waiting to get in. Quite a number of them do make it inside. One can find them happily ensconced on the door mat in the kitchen at home, and in hallways and offices at work.
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