Pine Cones
congregate
on a woodland floor
conical coffers toppled
from the uppermost storeys
of longleaf pines think pineapples
miniaturised bee hives pocket-sized
seed hides silently pupating bodies
coddled in moss needles they almost
seem to be alive each sideways flap fitted
with a diamond-shaped shutter prise it and
peep inside beyond the tight -packed slats
papyrus thin flat-backed seeds spin-dried fir
cone bones shrivelled skeletons stacked up
in spiral pyramids each seed a pharaoh
entombed in a chamber of their own
huddled out of sight they wait
until wafer-thin light
creeps in pining
for spring when
the slow lids
lift
Julian Bishop’s first collection of eco poems called We Saw It All Happen was published in 2023 by Fly On The Wall Press. A former environment reporter for the BBC in Wales, he was a runner-up in the Ginkgo Prize for Eco Poetry and now lives in High Barnet, North London.