<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><div dir="ltr">Autumn's Crucible<div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 22px;"><br></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; color: rgb(16, 19, 26);">In autumn’s cool chamber,</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; color: rgb(16, 19, 26);">Beauty builds a fire.</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; color: rgb(16, 19, 26);">Pen-point becomes</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; color: rgb(16, 19, 26);">flint, and paper tinder</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; color: rgb(16, 19, 26);">when the leaves are</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; color: rgb(16, 19, 26);">paler than the thin</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; color: rgb(16, 19, 26);">afternoon moon </div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; color: rgb(16, 19, 26);">that’s as transparent </div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; color: rgb(16, 19, 26);">as a cloud</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; color: rgb(16, 19, 26);">and the evergreens stand by</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; color: rgb(16, 19, 26);">watching their deciduous cousins</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; color: rgb(16, 19, 26);">self-immolate,</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; color: rgb(16, 19, 26);">each burning </div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; color: rgb(16, 19, 26);">unique.</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; color: rgb(16, 19, 26);">Autumn's long farewell</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; color: rgb(16, 19, 26);">leaves time </div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; color: rgb(16, 19, 26);">to fare</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; color: rgb(16, 19, 26);">well.</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 22px;"><br></div><p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </p><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>- Max Reif</div></div></body></html>