Poem for Tuesday, Longwood Gardens, Brandywine Zoo

The Falling Leaves
By Margaret Postgate Cole

Today, as I rode by,
I saw the brown leaves dropping from their tree
In a still afternoon,
When no wind whirled them whistling to the sky,
But thickly, silently,
They fell, like snowflakes wiping out the noon;
And wandered slowly thence
For thinking of a gallant multitude
Which now all withering lay,
Slain by no wind of age or pestilence,
But in their beauty strewed
Like snowflakes falling on the Flemish clay.

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Swiped from Heath for the World War I centennial.

Another quickie -- I spent Monday in the Brandywine Valley with Adam, Paul, and Cheryl, first at the Brandywine Zoo in Wilmington where we saw many animals -- though not the monkeys or reptiles, since the roof of their building was crushed by a falling tree and though the animals are all fine, they are not on display -- then at Longwood Gardens, where new elevated wooden walkways through the wetlands lead to new trails through the garden. There are of course thousands of flowers in the outdoor beds and the conservatory, plus we went to the Festival of Fountains -- the musical fountain show and the many fountains around the grounds. Will post pics of animals and flowers during the week, here we are enjoying!