The Dark Interior

Densely enclosed by the forest interior
the pathway off the main trail, little used
is narrow, hedged closely by a biomass
of hardwood and softwood in a mixed
forest so dense when skies are clear
sun shafts barely penetrate the gathered
crowns of the canopy and when overcast 
prevails dusk is everpresent. This hugely 
overcast day of ragged grey clouds and 
continual rain is nicely sheltered under 
that canopy. Above the forest spires the 
nearby mountain peaks ensure late sunrise
and early dusk at the most propitious
of times. Late afternoon sees grey mist
rising in wide sheets of grimy laundry
to meet the clouds obscuring the mountain 
sides. The forest path's strangely sinister 
invitation to enter its dark interior beckons
nonetheless. The creeping darkness obscures 
rocks and roots on the forest floor, dense 
undergrowth reaching out like curious 
skeletal fingers slimy with moss, to grasp
the unwary interloper. A vague aura of malice 
suffuses the dark, wet and silent interior 
where lurks ... who can fully fathom?