Chandeliers of Bark & Glass

By Shreyas Raman

Evergreen pines break the clouds, erupting through the barren mountain flank,

As Dryads, bound to oakwood roots, amalgamate the weary riverbank.

The crumbling loam Earth, a vast fertile womb, bears the burden of breathing life,

To a defenseless pip until ripe fruits pulse, upon twisted branches slithering rife.

The seasoned rings of time, nourish birds and aphids -- a dendritic network for the feeble,

as fauna devour upon selfless foliage, satiating all from the moose to the weevil.

The canopy scatters a kaleidoscope of color -- amorphous green to yellow to red, 

as Apollo’s golden arrows rain through towering timber to pierce the black forest bed.

Verdant leaves, bound atop the crown, now succumb to a gentle breeze, 

Crystalized by Horae’s thick milky breath, winding pervasively between the trees.

Tenacious trunks now chandeliers of fragile glass, sapped of vivacious color,

Hear Aeolus resound a dissonant flute, as the bark howls in dolour. 

The supple litter falls stiff like stone, numb from the draining rime,

As velvet frost enrobes Gaia's corpse, mourning the stillness in time.

A land imbued with hue and spirit, erased to a desert of white,

From barren ash, springs anew, the kindled warmth of life.

By Shreyas Raman