Page 26 of As You Wake, Break the Shell

It’s not entirely accurate, there

are nuances, but–

—it’s also not wrong.

Some arrangements

simply work.

All new life-forms need

construction materials in

the form of protein and

nutrients, and all sexually

reproductive parents hand

over a tiny bundle of these to

their offspring at the start. A

box lunch to prepare you for

heading out into the world.

And finally, the third

ingredient: protection. A

barrier between a fragile

possibility and the neutral

chaos of the universe.

A seed coat.

An eggshell.

A parent’s body.

A shield.

A chance.

Information, food,

and protection.

That’s all there is to a seed.

That’s all there is to most of the

lives you have ever eaten or

touched or loved.