Robbed Denouement

We paused beneath the shade of a tree,
To rest and tend to my injury,
But my companions I urged them – hike on,
Leave me behind, go on without me.

Rustling leaves stole their voices anon,
Left alone, my thoughts lingered upon
The distant wonder of a lost view,
Near the summit, my robbed denouement.

The greens would shine an emerald hue,
While the sun basked in Spring overdue,
Perhaps someone will take a photo,
Though it’d do no justice to the truth.

So I sit and wait for sunset’s glow,
Retrieved at journey’s end like cargo,
Still, I should honor the lost tableau,
And thank this old tree for its shadow.