The Forest Floor

Deep and rich and moistly fecund
the humus on the forest floor
reflecting the endless cycle of
rest and rebirth, the destiny of all
living things to outlive their time
to die and to prepare the way for
their species' survival, hosts multitudes
of living organisms, those that exist
below the leafmold shed by the
deciduous forest above and the
castoff needles of their coniferous
cousins, the fungi that thrives on
rotting cellulose, the insects that
live under bark, the woodpeckers
that search out their larvae, all
contributing to the timeless cycle
of renewal. Standing on that forest
floor are the remnants of trees whose
lifesap has abandoned the roots
leaving the trunk to decay and
finally tumble to add to the detritus
contributing to the process of renewal.
And beside those fallen trunks and
often atop them the slender saplings
of future trees hosting outsized foliage
along with the promise of the future.