The poem "Spring and Fall" by Gerard Manley Hopkins describes the changing of seasons from a child's perspective. In the first stanza, a young girl comments on leaves falling in autumn, unaware of its symbolic meaning. In the second stanza, the speaker understands that growing up means gaining awareness of mortality. The third stanza reflects on how quickly childhood innocence is lost as reality sets in. The poem uses seasonal change as a metaphor for growing up and gaining a deeper understanding of the world.