Prayer for Summer's End

Late in the summer, with the Sun still blazing,
I meet with the startling sight of sassafras leaves,
turned already to tongues of flame.
They burn away the remnants of summer,
a sacrificial pyre for the year's offerings,
set to summon the fires of fall.
Spirits of sassafras, many thanks to you:
your message will not go unheeded.

_{Serith, Ceisiwr — A Pagan Ritual Prayer Book}