Catkins

SKELETAL twigs that bud and bow,

With catkins all suspended;

Like caterpillars in a row

Their bodies green and splendid.

Clustered there in twos and threes

And yearning for the Sun;

Sentinels that guard the trees,

For hazelnuts to come.

Pollen dust on Nature's breath,

A lover's seed is spilled

For tiny flowers, red as death:

The sexual act, fulfilled.

© Troy Southgate