Clenched.
Its top a curled-up finial,
Striated with folded future fronds.
Vermillion, the color of a beating heart,
Or a rosy tongue out to catch a snowflake:
Fuzzy fiddlehead unfurls;
Connected by a lean, strong arched back,
Tentacles opposite one another,
Look like curling arms:
An eager caterpillar
Awaiting Mother Nature’s embrace.
So many changes ahead:
Red turning to green,
Worm-shaped fronds fill into
Full, lush, verdant, delicate leaves,
Ready for the Sun,
The wind,
The rain:
A fern leaf unfolds.
