Life and the spinning of the earth

I begin in springtime
As the snake's head bends
And bursts from the grass in chequerboard.
The ecstasy of youth has no end.

I dance as caterpillars wake
And take their first taste from Nature's cup.
Curling to my knees I plant my seeds
Both sacred and corrupt.

In summer, as gardenias bloom
And virgin petals drink the sun
Echoing that splendour in the night
Calling the moths to come.

As I, too, savour night's caress,
The long light warmth of song,
But footsteps in the shell-strewn sand,
Are temporary, as we all become.

I hang my head as apple boughs
Bear fealty under heavy fruit,
As every day brings solitude,
Alone in this mocking pigeon suit.

And as the glut of windfalls builds
Wasps crowd above the speckled rot.
What I thought I'd sown in spring
Turns out I did not.

Winter doesn't hide its light,
From field to field the cold earth bared.
All that grows is broken skin,
Though it's long past the point I cared.

Here in my life's December
There's nothing left to save.
And as the frosts blacken the rosemary
I steel my soul for the grave.