The Mushroom and The Stump

Any city dweller sees

symbolic meaning in the trees,

but only forest people know

the value of all things that grow.

The things that in the forest thrive

depend on bonds to stay alive.

The soils, the moss, the ferns and trees

support the birds, the bugs, the bees.

And when the fires and the rain

pass through the west coast woods again

a new love follows in their wake

withstanding any coastal quake.

The force of nature cannot trump

the mushroom allied with its stump.

They form a synergetic base

that keeps them solidly in place.

The depth of this connection stays

a mystery to the common gaze. 

Yet both from this connection glean

a vibrance that can now be seen.

And all the other living things

thrive off the energy it brings.

For it has laid a new foundation

and at a higher elevation

life that near them has begun

can now be closer to the sun.