[at-l] "Another great day on the Appalachian Trail"

[ATtrailhiker at wmconnect.com (ATtrailhiker@wmconnect.com)]

Speaking of hiking and catching leaves, I was just reading this a few minutes 
ago. :-)

> 
> The Hitchhiker

The early October day
   is unusually warm,
   the sun but 25 degrees above the horizon.
The greens are brushed with yellows and reds,
   portending the glory to come.
This morning hints to be a poetical dream.

Riding my recumbent along the B & O Trail,
   I?m lost in thought, basking in life.

Though the eyes span the artistic tableaus,    
   transforming with each passing second,
   my thoughts turn inward.

A slight brush along the ear    
   arouses me from the dreams,
   an insect or bug perhaps.
I peer downward,
   spotting a yellow leaf,
   resting, lodged between the black brake cables.

?Welcome stranger, along for the ride??   I inquire.

?Only for a few minutes,

   I need to rest, for my time is done,?

   comes the reply.
For a mile or so, 
   the guest shimmers in the breeze.
The sun rays strike its surface,
   no longer causing the magic
   like the season before.

With nary a word ?Goodbye?

   the hitchhiker floats to the ground,
   having given one last gift,
   before returning to the soil,
   its birthplace and source.