in the grace of fall and in the storm of spring stood the one thing impervious to the hardships of either : the many farewells of fall to all vibrant life surrounding as it prepares for the long rest ( or short death ) : to the hedgehog scraping together his fortress of leaves ; to the fox pressing her young into service , theres a lair needs furnishing , enough with the playing , and that means you , too ; to the geese , the many many geese winging by making me wish my branches were wings , proudly set for sailing , high above hellos and then goodbyes ; to the swans honk honk honking their au revoirs ; to the swallow , settling , if only for a moment to impart one last smidgen of gossip before she swifts away for warmer climes ; to the many scurriers and burriers rushing now to gather the last of their supplies that they may still live come spring ; to the bear , sulkily scratching his back against my trunk , not even civil enough to say pardon mebut hes forgiven , this is his mood , already half-asleep , half-wondering where he is and where he is going , lumbering on on lumbering legs on lumbering feet stirring up trouble here and there unwittingly then lumbering on again leaving murmuring murmurs of how rudes in his wake ; to the man and his wife , they wont come this way now until spring ; to the southern stars who dip past the horizon not to return as long as orion rules the sky .