‘Serenade’ and Other Poetry by Adam Sedia

Serenade

__Late summer’s twilight skies
Hum with the song of a thousand faint voices—
_A choir of myriad sprites that rejoices
__In shadow and moonlight.
_Loud it resounds, though it lies
Deep in bough-shadows hidden. Like a dream
_The silhouetted treetops themselves seem
__To serenade the night.

__Now listen—hear the song,
The lulling hum, micropolyphony
Of seeming chaos merged to harmony
__Primordial yet thrilling.
__Listen! You have not long:
The silent nights of winter fast draw near,
When naught but windswept silence meets the ear
__That longs to hear this trilling.

Happy the Flower

Happy the flower that blooms when autumn’s breath
First cools September’s torpid skies to paint
The languid foliage and days grown faint
With life’s last burst, its climax reached at death—

Happier than the flower of budding spring
With naïve pastel hues, that drinks fresh rains
Then withers long before the sun’s course wanes,
For long days left unnoticed, languishing.

But happier still the flower whose stem is cut
At summer’s height, unravished by decay,
Resplendent in its fullest, brightest bloom:

Like autumn’s it concludes in glory, but
Like spring’s deigns not reserve its bright array—
Height and end admired in a crystal tomb.

Adam Sedia (b. 1984) lives in his native Northwest Indiana and practices law as a civil and appellate litigator. He has published four books of poetry and his poems, essays, and fiction have appeared in various literary journals. He is also a composer, and his musical works may be heard on his YouTube channel.