Original Poetry • Leslie Berg • 2026
A reflection on the seasons of human life, the passage of time, and the enduring connection between endings and beginnings. Through nature's changing cycles, the poem explores how each generation gives life to the next.
The morning breaks with golden light,
A sudden breath, a brand-new cry,
The dark of winter takes its flight,
As youth awakens 'neath the sky.
A seedling pushes through the mold,
A fledgling tests its fragile wings,
The timeless story starts to unfold,
As nature wakes and softly sings.
The days roll onward, warm and bright,
The rivers rush toward the sea,
The shadows shorten into light,
And wild things run, untamed and free.
The summers burn with vibrant grace,
The child becomes a steady hand,
We learn to run the human race,
And take our place upon the land.
Then autumn paints the rolling hills,
In shades of amber, gold, and red,
A deeper quiet slowly chills,
The canopy above our head.
The harvest comes to yield its store,
The fruits of labor now mature,
We lean against the steady door,
Of memories that will endure.
The silver frosting on the hair,
Reflects the winter's gentle glow,
A lifetime's love, a lifetime's care,
Moving in rhythms soft and slow.
The twilight gathers in the west,
The long day yields to quiet sleep,
The weary traveler takes their rest,
In silence beautiful and deep.
But death is not the final wall,
The faded leaves enrich the ground,
They answer nature’s oldest call,
Where sacred, silent paths are found.
The soil is fed by what has passed,
The roots below drink deep and wide,
No winter storm can ever last,
The turning wheel cannot be denied.
A sudden warmth begins to bloom,
A heavy mist begins to clear,
New life dispels the quiet gloom,
As April’s greening banks appear.
The morning breaks with golden light,
A sudden breath, a brand-new cry,
The stars of yesterday take flight,
Beneath the endless, rolling sky.
— Leslie Berg, 2026
Where Autumn Feeds the Spring is an original poem by Leslie Berg, published on the Create Joy Studios website as part of her poetry and writing collection.
Using the changing seasons as a metaphor for the human lifespan, the poem reflects on birth, growth, maturity, aging, death, and renewal. Its recurring imagery of golden morning light emphasizes the continuity of life across generations.
About the Poem
Where Autumn Feeds the Spring explores the cycle of life through the changing seasons of the natural world. Spring represents birth and new beginnings, summer reflects the energy and responsibilities of adulthood, autumn marks maturity and reflection, and winter introduces the stillness of life's final chapter.
The poem follows these transitions with imagery of seedlings, fledglings, harvests, fading leaves, and returning warmth. Each season contributes something essential to the next, suggesting that no stage of life exists in isolation.
Rather than presenting death solely as an ending, the poem considers how what has passed continues to nourish what follows. Fallen leaves enrich the soil, and the accumulated experiences of one generation become part of the foundation for another.
By returning in its final stanza to the same golden morning that opens the poem, the work creates a circular structure reflecting the enduring rhythms of nature and humanity. Its central message is one of continuity, remembrance, and the possibility of renewal.