Before the Winter
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Neon lights now far behind him
as he stumbles out into the night.
Above him, red-orange-yellow fall-colored
fragments spiraling in the air.
The chill of the night permeates the haze
his throat burning with everything unfelt.
Each leaf is torn away to their inevitable end
the branches naked and bare.
The leaves crunch underneath bleeding feet,
the colors fading as the liquor takes hold.
False happiness could only take him so far
as the end nears, closer and closer.
The pavement harsh against his hands
surrounded by curled brown corpses.
Among the trash and cigarette butts,
he sleeps in his bed of leaves.
Bio - Emma Cayen
Emma Cayen is in her final year in the Professional Writing program at Algonquin. Looking forward to her future in the writing world, she even finds herself dreaming of plot bunnies in her sleep. Emma’s hobbies include writing (of course), beating her sister at a good game of Mario Party, well as spending time with her beloved cat George. He often joins Emma in her writing sessions, snoozing at her feet while she taps away at her keyboard.
