Life is a sapling
Planted in the serenity
Of a moment unrecognised
Left to grow in the tender light
That feeds our sinking hearts
Evaporating liquid lies
That ascend like nostalgia
On the leaf-like wings of angels.

And in the dark
Life rests her passion
Under gleaming skies
In the belief and trust
That the animals of the night
Will not trample on its own budding star
Burning bright in the confines
Of slowing reactions that never die
She whispers to her neighbours
‘I am here, and I am alive’
They arch away in search of silence.

Life grows in the shade
Of mimicking greenery
That overshadow the youth
With pride that holds stems high
For a few moons before
They fall, exhausted on the floor
As enemies rejoice at their failure
But life is always quiet
She has learnt to remain silent
So as not to disturb her forced companions
She crafts stories into her waterways
As she photosynthesises
Shy glances from the sky.

Life becomes beautiful
She turns into a sight unseen
A vision of heaven in a world
Ravaged by hungry weeds
That ***** her fragility with fear
As vulnerable petals open and close
Adding colour to the bleakness
That seeps from the green envy
That spreads and then leaches.

Life is too beautiful
She is ripped away from her roots
Cherished only for moments
That fall through open fingers
Before death enters the womb
And life is something
That could have been
Almost anything.