Flaming crimson leaves,
 
how quickly your brilliance fades
 
into shades of brown!

 
 

Weeks after Easter
 
cream-white dahlias are blooming
 
in an old brown pot.

 
 
 

Stripped of its brilliance,
 
the once-crimson maple leaf
 
has turned brittle-brown.

Doll

 
 
 

Left out in the rain,
 
the doll with a missing arm
 
fades from brown to tan.

Nest

 
 
 

Little brown sparrow,
 
in the old stone Buddha’s lap
 
you have built your nest.

Why

 
 
 

Little brown sparrow,
 
why are you singing spring songs
 
with snow on the ground?

Leaf

 
 
 

Little brown sparrow,
 
did you see the last red leaf
 
fall from the maple?

Autumn

 
 
 

A brown sparrow sings
 
near the house with blue shutters—
 
deepening autumn.

Enough

 
 
 

Little brown sparrow,
 
will you find enough to eat
 
now that autumn’s come?

Frost

 
 
 

Little brown sparrow,
 
will you find enough to eat
 
now that frost has come?