The packet said
be sure to bury the seed
it needs darkness to
germinate
I breathed a deep sigh of relief
I’m not alone
this tiny seed too, which
came from a beautiful, flowering thing
the life that came before
blown to bits and pieces
by the howling wind and mournful
rain of yesterday
now composting
into this soil I’ve prepared
I don’t know how long I’ll be
down here
I’ve seen others with their faces toward
the sun
glowing, radiating, full of vitality
a new thing, dewy
supple flesh
bursting forth from the shell
which held them
they speak of hope and my aching
heart wants
to believe
but I can’t look at them too long
I’m going underground
where I need to be in
darkness
to germinate
or not
I’m not certain this
seed still has lifeforce within it
and yet, it’s a wonder that
any do
Jaclyn Edds Konczal | October 2021