As the storm unleashed
its noisy seas
ferns
gathered letters
from the chattering
drops
and harbored them
close
under frond and stipe
like oysters in eddies
pooled and reefed
adding layers, one letter
at a time
until the storm softens
within their seams
passing pinnate, hand-written
into stories
to be told by ferns
like poets bespoke
presenting their pearls
to the light.