Birth

In autumn seeds fall
         along with the leaves
within the fruit
         that rots on the ground
with flies buzzing
         and ants crawling
and sometimes
         the rain :
apples for example
         or chestnuts
horse or sweet
         seeds that needs
must fall into the ground
         which acts like a placenta
feeding the seed
         that has died
and germinated
         that sends out
a tap root to draw
         nourishment
from the earth
         and some seeds fly
are carried in the air
         on a gust of wind
that float off
         into the distance
only to settle
         sooner or later
on the ground
         into the ground
the burial before
          birth

John Lyons