An Orange Leaf in a Starry Sky

The lights are off, my covers pulled up to my chin, and the window left open
The alluring lights of the stars and moon, the planets and galaxies beyond call me to  them.
I untuck my covers and slowly drift toward the window in silence, my gaze is frozen.

I stare at the stars until they shine too bright for my eyes and tears fall down as I stand still.
Dreams of the sky fill my head as the chilly October wind wraps around my shoulders.
An orange leaf flutters across the starry night sky, then quietly lands on my window sill.

I gently pick it up, amazed at the rigid veins that run across its front and back.
It reminds me of the constellations, their many lines traced by stars in the sky.
Slowly, I lift my hand out of the window, watching as the leaf flutters onto a distant track.

A train rides by my window, carrying with it a cloud of grey smoke that floats into the sky.
I quietly watch as a candy wrapper meanders on the street below me, Halloween gone with it.
My body trembles as a strong gust of wind blows through my window.

October turns to winter.