Ferns

Ferns

By Parras Dumlao

There are many stems that emerge from the soil,
creating a forest of thin leafless trees
their tops appearing, at a glance,
like rolled up caterpillars:
Dreaming.
It’s quite uncomfortable, the unfurling process,
as the swinging stems move in an unnatural rhythm, tentacle-like;
the caterpillar tops are trying to metamorphize,
however,
unlike the actual creature,
the flowering fern never pupates—
never shields
itself with a silk casing—
but instead
slowly rolls upwards,
as leaf legs are left down below.
The fern flower never builds,
only deconstructs.
Said deconstruction becomes quite beautiful,
as when the caterpillar is lost
to the gradual maturation of time,
we are left with only long leaf legs,
growing sideways.