Life-red, the stems of the maple sapling,
the spinach that’s already bolted
in the heat, unseasonable, unless
we accept that a change
has been made, summer starting
earlier now, outdoors at least,
where the green is frank,
the crimson exposed,
a leaf is a leaf, nothing less,
nothing more.
OPTIONAL POETRY 
“…nothing less, nothing more.” But enough!
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indeed! Also, a leaf is a leaf is a leaf, but that seemed a bit derivative…
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Nothing derivative at all. “Where the green is frank”!!! Excellent diction and playful syntax. Wonderful poem!
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