Forest Atmosphere

At the junction of the main trail
leading through the forest, a side
trail beckons further into the dim
forest interior where a narrower 
passage through the thickets of
mixed conifer and deciduous
invites the curious to venture. The
gloom lifts as eyes adjust to a
meagre light penetration through
the thick shield of needles and
foliage though glimpses of a
benevolent blue sky remain
evident through the dense forest
canopy, and here birds and butterflies
flit silently through the serenity
of an atmosphere of solitary
grace, the occasional shaft of
sunlight brightening the eggshell
white of newly emerged fungi
stippling the forest floor, the green
glow of lichen mantling tree trunks
in a humid woodland ensconced
and overshadowed by mountain
slopes, moistened by the ferocious
spray of nearby mountain streams.