Final Bow

Betsy Joseph

October 4, 2026

Afternoon sky is taut,

immobile iron. 

It does not smile.

But below,

Texas pasture land still flashes

a beacon of crimson and gold,

softening the leaden starkness above.

Branches of post oaks hold reverently

their remaining leaves:

a stalwart gesture to protect them,

a selfish effort to keep from losing all

during the lonely months that lie ahead.

Cooling wind listens to their sigh

and briefly echoes it

while a bright yellow-eyed grackle

takes sudden flight.

Nodding to the wind

Autumn takes her final bow,

conceding the stage to winter.

Betsy Joseph lives in Dallas and has poems that have appeared in a number of journals and anthologies. She is the author of two poetry books published by Lamar University Literary Press: Only So Many Autumns (2019) and Relatively Speaking (2022), a collaborative collection with her brother, poet Chip Dameron. In addition, she and her husband, photographer Bruce Jordan, have produced two books, Benches and Lighthouses, which pair her haiku with his black-and-white photography.