Seeing Brown: November Leaves

The people who make crayons know about colors. Of course, the little boxes of eight have just the basics: red, blue, green, etc. But with the big boxes, the ones with 64 or even 96, the crayon makers really go to town. The good folks at the crayon factory know that there isn’t just one shade of green. Or gray. Or brown.

Brown. Surely the most boring color ever. In its dullest iteration, it’s beige, the wallpaper of every hospital waiting room. But nature has a galaxy of browns to choose from. And seems like there’s a crayon named for every one.

There’s Amber. Umber. Burnt Sienna. Tan. The names of the brown crayons read like poetry: Sepia, Almond, Antique Brass.

In November, the red and yellow leaves are long gone. But there’s still a wealth of Copper, Gold, and Timberwolf. A November walk is filled with shades of Shadow, Beaver, and Desert Sand.

Leaves still cling to the branches, shriveled and dry but full of life. They shout out Mahogany! and Tumbleweed! and Van Dyke Brown! as they rattle like castanets in the cold wind.

November is a whole crayon box full of color. Just wait till spring.