Timeline

Perennially
roots wrestle the cold spring soil
rising tender shoots
eat and drink of stone and sun
bare elements building life

Perennially
gentle petals fight to bloom
unfurl, determined,
against careless crushing toes
and mindless mangling fingers

Perennially
summer brings the taste for growth
to root, wing and claw
teeth quickening through the green
as buds swell defiantly

Perennially
Time draws sweet'ning color to
fruits rich with promise
passingly admired, then
plucked and consumed by strangers
Hollow stalks grown tall

sustained by remnants of pride
the first frost nips in
bereft of their verdant glow
their heads bend again,
Again