Knowing this for the challenge it was, we proceeded to bounce poem-takes on that opening off each other until, at last, we came up with the opening of the unofficial haiku version of Faerie After:
Bright maples surrender
their green to autumn rains.
Still I wait for you.
ETA: And here’s a translation, via my neighbor Noriko:
秋雨に色移りゆく楓かな
我ひたすらに君を待つなり
🙂