<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">All Hallow’s Eve, 2001</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; min-height: 22px;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">Above the deep-piled carpet of maple leaves</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">the madrones are slipping free</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">of summer’s brown paper wrapping,</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">eager to show off their new winter coats.</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; min-height: 22px;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">The afternoon rain still drips</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">from the canopy of oak, fir and pine.</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">Across the creek a gang of turkeys chuckles</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">as a nearby woodpecker beats a drum.</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; min-height: 22px;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">The light is passing swiftly now,</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">passing from the face of this land.</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">Shadows are lengthening everywhere,</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">reaching out across our lives.</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; min-height: 22px;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">Should we not, then, dare to love boldly,</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">more boldly than ever before -</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">as if the fate of the Earth itself</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">depended upon our loving?</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; min-height: 22px;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">And still the stars will surely rise,</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">revealing the Soul’s deep secret:</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">that the eye can see farther in the dark of night</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">than ever it could by day.</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; min-height: 22px;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class=""><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>- Larry Robinson</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal; font-family: Times; min-height: 19px;" class=""><br class=""></div></body></html>