Why is it that some trees, in the fall
Are dazzling with color:
Blood-red
Flame-orange
Burnt ochre
Deep purple
Raincoat yellow
Amethyst violet

And others still stay green
As if to say:
“Winter is coming
Don’t flare up
Keep your coat on
The brilliance, the beauty is not worth it
Huddle around the clearing
And stay evergreen”

Did they draw lots
The short straws putting a brave face on
To tell the world:
“Look upon us quickly
Warm your souls over our flame
To think how great a Creator
Must have flint and steeled us against the coming bitterness
And remember how bravely we burned, when the brown embers are piled round our trunks”

Through the cold months
Do they think fondly of the glory days?
Is there regret
That their plumage could have been brighter
Preened more neatly by the autumn breeze?
And most of all, do they ever doubt
Whether Spring is really, truly coming?
Or does their hope lie dormant

There has to be a reckoning –
When He who murmured “Talitha cumi”
Who commanded “Lazarus, come forth”
Who cried “Into Thy hands I commit My spirit”
Whose own lifting up was done upon a Tree –
When he stands back to look on the leaves that are for the healing of the nations
Does He smile to see their brilliance, their vast array of color
Tracing the clear, unmistakable lines of Resurrection? Even so, Lord, quickly come

Jeremy Vogan, Autumn 2026
Artwork Credit: ~SB~

Author: Jeremy Vogan

My name is Jeremy Vogan. I live in Staunton, VA with my wife and four kids. I love to write, and seek to honestly explore the intellectual and emotional implications of following Jesus as a deeply broken person in a twisted, cruel world that is full of veiled beauty and meaning. Writing is part of how I faithfully look for Jesus Christ to someday make all things new. I'd enjoy hearing your feedback! JV