Image: Barbara Ryther
Waiting
Far below the canopy
beneath the understory
the fern waits
Liquid blue reflections
hint enigmatically at
the bright sky above
Hidden lakes of lily-of-the-valley
scent the heavy shadows
that weave around it
Until for a fraction of an hour
the sun breaks through
and pours down light
A halo of life giving energy
a blaze of bright green
deep within the forest
Then the sun moves on
but the fern remains
savoring the blessed feast
And far below the canopy
beneath the understory
the fern waits again
-Barbara Ryther