Conkers

Conkers green and spiky

Conkers high above

Dangle from the branches

Like ancient weapons of war

Waiting for the wind to blow

And wrench them from their seat

To bounce and split upon the ground

To birth a shiny copper orb

A sleeping beauty glowing brown

So smooth and handsome 

Spawned from an ugly child

Awaiting boys and girls to find 

And secret adults too

To touch and smell and marvel at

To gather keep and to admire

To run your fingers through 

To enjoy their perfect form

To drill a hole and thread on string

To dangle in defiance

To challenge other conker folk

To smash your burly orb

To swing and string and bash and bonk

Until the cracks appear

And challenger is split apart 

To crumble in defeat

And there we have in victory 

A one’er, two’er more

Hard, Invincible and battle scared

The victor a hundred’er 

A conker giant survives to fight again

To age and harden 

For next years challenge

To sleep in a drawer

It’s that time of year, autumn and the Conkers have started to fall. 

13.9.20