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Fresh Fern ‍
‍New coils of Christmas fern push forth into soft spring air which still retains the possibility of early morning frost. By day the fern stems lengthen, baby-tender, hairy as a terrier. One could watch its growth, if one had all day to sit still in a place, and there are worse ways to spend a day. Day to day the stem lengthens, adjusting to springtime yo-yo temperatures that range from cool to warm to cold to warm again, punctuated by drying winds and pounding rains. Inside the frond’s young stem water is rising, pushing, forcing those bottom most leaflets to soon unfurl, unfold, and stretch wide as the welcoming arms of a child running to a grandparent. The orderly progression has begun, each set of leaflets opening slightly ahead of the ones above, until the entire frond—the entire forest floor– is laid open to receive the blessing of light from a single sun. ~K