Pine Cones by Julian Bishop

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.