The old trees –
damaged by
disease in the soil,
weathered winds –
lay on the earth
Was it neglect of the life
that left
or the passing of age
itself?
The summer brought wild grass
emerging through a decade of
decaying leaves
I wanted to remove all
that accumulated brush,
but I read that
fallen branches and ground cover
provide a habitat for little critters
So in the rot, I watched for a year
Coming up to a collapsed log
The layers fell apart
like wet paper
Curiously lifting the foldings
slice by slice
a toad appeared
-surprised-
and quickly burrowed down below
for safety
I covered the gap carefully
-as nature originally arranged-
so life could evolve
within the deadwood
