The Ground Parted Its Mouth

The ground parted its mouth Slowly and sensuously Accepting the seed Like the Eucharist The red earth Accepted the seed Like a womb Prepared and tilled Fertility in living soil After sweat and mortal toil Accepting the seed With parted sea But as the seed was accepted deep The others awoke from deepest sleep To also spring to life - To shoot out spite and strife To grab the earth And block the sun To entangle the growth A race to run No fruit, just thorns No function, just scorn No purpose but to steal and take The sun which from seed a fruit will make But then the Hand reaches down And takes the weed’s flowered crown And rips it up with its deathly cup Of malice deep on which to sup To sup and die with fever high Of poisoned weed Amongst the living seed