I sat on the bench looking around me at the beauty and stillness of the early morning in the park. Nothing was moving; the ground was wet everywhere, covered with a heavy layer of dew.

Suddenly from the corner of my eye I saw something move. I shifted my gaze and I saw a leaf falling from a tree. It’s only a leaf I thought, but then I wondered what made the leaf fall. There is no wind, I haven’t seen any birds. Then I realize the answer. The leaf is covered with dew, soaked, probably several times its normal weight. The weight was too much for the tenuous connection to the tree and it broke loose and fell.

The leaf didn’t drop like an autumn leaf, swirling in the wind. Shrunken and crinkled, it fell straight down, almost as if it were a solid object.

I thought about the difference between the dirty brown winter leaves, sodden with moisture and falling from the tree without grace or beauty, and compared it to the colorful autumn leaf, still full of life, that swirls in the wind as it falls. The autumn leafs fill the air with attractive colors, moving like butterflies as they descend to the ground. Autumn leaves color the landscape, creating rainbows as they cover the ground. The sky may be gloomy, but it’s hard for me to be gloomy during fall.

I hear footsteps on the sidewalk and I turn to the direction of the sound. Shortly you come into sight between the trees, and what a sight you are. Your shoulder length brown hair is curled and bouncing with each step. Your blue eyes are sparkling and your face is flushed from the cold. You sit on the bench beside me and smile and I feel as if the sun just emerged from behind a cloud.

Being with you always lights my day. I feel like there is only one woman in the whole world, and I’m the luckiest guy on the planet. I am endlessly enthralled with your beauty and grace, and it occurs to me that you are like the autumn leaf.

You bring beauty and brightness where ever you go, and everyone’s spirits are elevated when you arrive. I often wonder what twist of fate brought us together and why you have stayed with me. I don’t stand out in a crowd, yet you are like a rare, beautiful flower that is always in bloom. Your presence is never missed.

You take my hands in yours and you kiss me, then you tell me you love me. My heart swells in my chest and I feel like it’s going to burst from my love for you.

I read somewhere that men think of sex several times a day. I think of you constantly, I can’t get enough of you.

You are my world, my greatest love. You will forever be my autumn leaf.