If you can look into the seeds of time, and say which grain will grow and which will not, speak then unto me. William Shakespeare

The final chapter will remain unread.
Quite soon I must return this thrilling book
to its cosmic shelf. Borrowed time has sped
towards recall; there’s hardly time to look
to the last page, which isn’t about me.
It’s about the children. A world laid waste
makes a poor plot; one page could turn them free
to sow new words to grow what happens next. 
So many chapters reaped, so many lines
of worn out tales, which we in turn pass on -
for whom? Our story is a stack of lies
if all small seeds that matter will be gone.
But here are last year’s leaves, for what they’re worth,
to add some colour to your fresh sown earth.

Margaret Elphinstone

Margaret Elphinstone has published ten novels and two books on organic gardening. Her historical novels include The Sea Road, Voyageurs, Light, Hy Brasil and The Gathering Night. Her novella, Lost People, was published in 2024. www.margaretelphinstone.co.uk

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