Saturday, March 18, 2017

To Remain A Seed (a poem)






The Conception 
A seed 
That didn't choose to be buried
Begins covered and in darkness 
Its first commission is struggle
To get out of itself 
To get out of the earth
Courageously destroying 
And escaping
Its own protection 

The Death
The abrasive dirt holds on
Not willing to let go but willing to ruin
"If I can't have you, no one can"
Stripping it bare of its covering
But what was meant to destroy, releases
Deep in the earth, the seed's defense
Becomes part of the the very soil 
That will be taken up 
Into its roots as nourishment
Death contributing to life  
A necessary bravery 
Once the shell is shed 
There is no going back
It can never be a seed again
Risking demise in order to rise

The Birth
The bud awakens, original
To a strange and unfamiliar world
Growing furiously post mortem
As newness bursts through 
The surface of the soil 
Seeking that which will give it a covering
Leaves, Petals, Strength
Beauty

The Sun
An ever-moving magnet 
Wherever it is in the sky 
That is where the little bud leans
Captivated by concentrated vitality 
Enchanted by absolute energy 
That willingly draws it into another's yoke
Light 

The Flower
Flourishing, dependent 
Clothed by another
Its true self revealed, post struggle 
Petals stretch and colors flow
As purpose explodes earth-side 
The flower exists to seek the sun  
And be veiled in its brilliance

Dear Reader, The Problem
If a seed never struggles 
To break out of its shell
It will start to feel comfortable
Deep in the earth
Soon it won't remember
That it was supposed to be 
Anything but a seed
It remains alone
Clinging to a covering that strangles 
The seed's inevitable, unseen death
Produces nothing 

Dear Reader, The Lesson
A seed is not meant to remain a seed 
To inhabit its shell forever
Its purpose is fighting to die  
Against itself
Against the unforgiving earth
Against the impulse to remain unchanged
The war to shed its skin results
In rising new 
Yielding immeasurable fruit 
Life that continues forever

Unshelled, unveiled 


-Courtney Hutchinson 

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