Closing
By Benjamin Major
I opened, unaware of this world.
Naïve, a patient hand nurtured me from the soil.
I transformed, took leave of the trellis
That had been erected to support me.
I found my freedom, reached out with
My thin, tender stems to feel the sun.
I grew, looking everywhere for that light.
With the passing seasons I became bolder,
Put on a passionate display. Violent floral reds.
But inside me, in my roots and follicles,
I felt empty. I witnessed foliage to the
Left and right of me dying, shrivelling up.
I felt feeble. Then I came to acknowledge
My impermanence. I was a fragile being,
Just a straw, not even that. Then began my
Laughing days. I laughed as the leaves
Turned brown and the days shorter. Laughing,
As I knew I was dissolving, returning to
The soil. Now I am folding.
I am closing.
I’m here.