Germination

Germination • D. Bryan

The tall oak sheds its life, looking to keep

Its legacy going in the time to come.

Gentle spring rains and violent sunny days

Create a womb in the earth for the acorn

To germinate and begin a lifelong journey.

Small roots spring forth from the seedling, reaching for light and love,

Sending the first leaf through the weight of torn and broken Time. Reaching for the air the earth breathes, from the surface To the edges of the atmosphere. Seasons change,

Storms build and pass, the sun warms the dry bones in the soil. The once soft, feeble stem is growing strong and straightening its

spine;

Bark lines the outer walls to protect the spinal cord that makes life possible.

After years of shedding life and producing this young oak, the father rots from

The inside out. His limbs crash and fall to pieces, providing the necessary

Room for the son of the mighty oak to grow. The descendent of old grows powerful.

With limbs that hold the wind hostage and leaves that block out the light.

But as its limbs spread, so do its roots, claiming territory that is not His.

Greed has grown in his heart and now he wages war On the undeserving.

Intermingling with the forest beneath the earth, the roots get tangled,

And life gets messy.