POETRY

A Heart, Serotinous

a free verse poem, challenge response

I watch you sometimes, as you are reading.

The particles of your mind firing, quick procession of thought, processing —

a speed I cannot match.

I think of your compassion. Your generous love, service, sacrifice — behind the veil behind the wall behind that thin line no one crosses.

Serotinous, you are. Resin packed with smiles.

Perhaps, you know

I am fire.

Serotinous cones.

In environments where hot, fast moving fires are frequent, some pine species have developed very thick, hard cones that are literally glued shut with a strong resin. These “serotinous” cones can hang on a pine tree for years, long after the enclosed seeds mature. Only when a fire sweeps through, melting the resin, do these heat-dependent cones open up, releasing seeds that are then distributed by wind and gravity. — How Trees Survive and Thrive after a Fire

Author note: Some pine tree species can ONLY disperse their seeds after their cones are burned open with fire.

This poem is written in response to Eli Snow’s challenge:

It also fits quite nicely as a syzygy poem (term mine) as it combines the fire ecology terminology with navigating a human relationship. I am fascinated with fire ecology and the life cycle of pine trees, hearkening back to my research days in college. I have written about this before in Seed to Earth.

I did my college senior research paper on “Developing a Comprehensive Fire Management Strategy in the U.S.” which focused on how to balance the natural fire ecology processes with the need to protect human structures and human lives.

Thank you for reading.

Christina M. Ward has earned her Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science, which greatly influences her work as a poet and writer. She hopes to move people to develop a greater relationship with the natural environment — and that this is key to a wholesome and well-lived life.