Peripheral vision alerted me to the movement. Turning my head and looking outside the window I saw it. The first leaf of Fall floating slowly to the ground.

I looked beyond the tree in our front yard and observed the tree in the neighbor's. A few errant leaves were already atop her grass.

Yet the saddest thing is that the neighbor has children.

I have never seen the little girl from that house sitting out under that tree. No doll bed set up for her pretend family; no lemonade stand for thirsty dog walkers; no blanket upon which she could lay on her back and read or discover cloud creations.

Growing up I had a mulberry tree in the side yard of our house. The branches fell all the way to the ground making a secret drapery of leaves and juicy fruit. Between the mulberry and the catalpa tree I could string a line and throw my brother's pup tent over. Summer's were spent in long lazy days of delightful imagination, through books and made-up adventures.

"Imagination is the only weapon in the war against reality." -Anatole France

And that's what I think about it.