The wild fennel unfurls its fronds
forcing out a message
caught momentarily by the passing wind
which I try to follow
in every line of lifeblood flowing
through its veins
but it curls back
and hides
each thought in secret
chloroplasts
deep beneath its emerald surface.
A bus swerves past
I’ve been expecting it
sat at this desolate spot
and yet it surprises
both the plant and I
fixed as it has been forever in that spot
fixed as I have been for an impatient hour here
and the motorised giant
steals from this moment
all secret knowledge the fennel
might have shared
like Prometheus
pilfering fire
in one profane swoop
from lofty Olympus
to a deserted, furling earth.
©
Daniele Nunziata is a poet and a lecturer in English Literature at the University of Oxford where he researches postcolonial writing. His poems have been published in several journals and magazines, and he has read his poetry live on BBC Radio. He is a contributor to the online literary database, Writers Make Worlds.
Twitter: @DannyNunziata