Wilderness

The interior of the forest
drenched in muted light
hugs its silence
but for the insistent
soughing of the wind
through its uneven canopy.
Its giant old pines and
birches stand silent
witness to its history
as a climax forest
renewing itself in the
age-old struggle of
vegetation to survive
and thrive until it
no more can
when the integrity of
their grip on life
holding roots firmly
beneath the forest floor
becomes atmosphere
weather and age 
compromised 
when invading insects
and pathogens do their
part to doom the giants
toppling their reign
providing a vacuum 
soon to be filled by
opportunistic saplings
aspiring to take their place
in a conspiracy of nature's
deliberately elegant device
she has elaborated called
birth and death otherwise
known as renewal.