Illuminating Life

By daybreak the deluge had exhausted
its fury the hillsides had emptied
their burden into the rushing
creek below the ravine
waters churning and hauling
through the narrowed channel
detritus from its bed and all that
fell throughout the night from
the canopy above shedding
discarded bark and twigs
pine cones and all that succumbed
to the force of the wind-driven rain.
From its depths arose swamp gas.
As the sun rose the forest interior
remained shrouded, mist lazily
rising responding to a temperature
inversion in the dark tunnel of the
forest. There was no birdsong this
morning those trills of welcome to
the dawn, everything still and sombre
inundated as the chill of an altered
atmosphere lofted by the raging wind
tossing aside masts of old trees
huddled in one another's company
swayed and groaned. And then rays of
wide, bright light penetrated the dark
and dripping forest, illuminating life.