Fallen

 

 

Fallen

•

my footfalls
drum root chambers
of old growth

each step

cushioned
by centuries of needle-drop
in this ancient forest

my walking stick
smooth and warm
in my right hand

I’m caught up
in the rise and fall
twist and turn
of the trail

lost in the moment

when suddenly
my way is blocked

a great redwood

down

broken in repose

its tangled root
like a tentacled mouth

ripped raw
from the breast of mother earth

a giant
in a land of giants

you once soared
through the canopy
of this majestic forest

to thrust skyward
in your day

shallow rooted
I observe

but deep enough
to proudly stand
this thousand years

and yet
you’ve fallen

you did not fall unnoticed

yours
a thunderous final bow

now here
lifeless

while all around you
new life

sprouting
even from your fallen mass

in this lush calm
of nature’s vast cathedral
the eternal pulse of life
goes on

not unaware of your misfortune

but certainly
undaunted

…

rob kistner © 2007

 

 

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photorenderings edited by: rob kistner © 2007
top image entitled: “Almighty” | bottom image entitled: “Great Calm”
base images: Tom Casper, Joe Holms
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~ by Image&VerseToo on November 29, 2007.