Gazing at Autumn with Autumnal Eyes

When I was young, the trees seemed to assume their autumnal hues uniformly.

Now, at 65, I watch the trees in my neighborhood and I seem aware of large swaths of yellow and red leaves right next to large patches of green all in the same tree, as though parts of it are reluctant to give into its winter decline.

Has nature changed over the years?

Am I reading my own reluctance to decline into my personal autumn in the larger nature around me?

Yet nature goes on. Will I?

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