Mid-autumn

And when I wasn't looking, the meadow went brown and dry.

Before: goldenrod and milkweed pods fattening on their stalks. Clusters of purple asters throughout the field, bright spots among the drying weeds. Now the asters themselves are dried, and brown, and gone. Trees are blown half-bare. Still, there are some leaves left: scattered gold and brown on the walking path, and more trees forming tunnels of color along the roads.