Two short scenes from a city in autumn sit side by side here. In the first, the speaker is in a peace garden, watching leaves fall without any struggle. The phrase "nonresistance of leaves" makes the falling feel like a quiet lesson: the leaves simply accept what is happening to them. The garden's name adds to that, since peace here seems to mean giving in gracefully rather than fighting.
The second scene moves to the back alleys, a rougher, less tidy part of the city. The speaker turns the leaves' lesson toward people. "Going to seed" usually sounds like decline, but the poem says the real question isn't whether we age and fade, only how. That's the heart of it: change is certain, and our choice lies in our manner.
The mood is calm, reflective, and gently accepting, with a touch of wry humor. The speaker doesn't seem frightened of decay. Instead, the poem invites us to meet it with the same ease the leaves show.