orbit

One of my first memories as a kid was the helicopter flower. It may be a leaf. I'm not sure of the actual technical name, of course. In early April, they bud. By the middle of May they are fat with their seeds. A week later, they dry up and fall to the ground. Unlike other brown things that fall, they swirl first, like a helicopter blade. Sometimes they go for hours or days without ever hitting the ground. Sometimes they rest on the sunroof of Jettas until someone drives away and kicks up so much air they can live again.