The Forest Colossus

In a mixed forest of both hardwood and 
softwood stands the imperial majesty of a 
venerable pine with outstretched arms as 
though protectively toward the retinue of 
lesser trees -- oaks, maples, firs and poplars
-- surrounding it. Generations ago this aged 
pine had a companion standing a mere 
hundred yards distance not within the 
confines of the forest but at its edge where 
a clearing outlined its height and girth 
against the serried ranks of the forest beyond. 
It stood there grand and impervious to time's 
burden like a sentry guarding the hierarchy
of the forest and its understory to preserve 
the integrity of a prized woodland. Until 
one fateful evening brought a ferocious 
thunderstorm and a bolt of lightning felled 
the giant, leaving a craggy snag and a black
seared trunk prostate with the grief of sudden 
death. Nothing now remains of snag and trunk
absorbed by the forest as it slowly decayed and
became as one with the forest floor, a bed for 
renewal of the forest. But its companion stands 
still, robust and healthy, towering well above 
the forest canopy, the ultimate survivor.