Muskmelon rays cascade
down the canopy, suffusing
veined leaves to turn carbon
into sustenance. Sap swirls
as it sinks through stem and fruit,
steeping roots sipped by mycelia
who pool nutrients in botanic barter.
Underground, worms churn spoils
and air and water into fertile soils.
If, as they surface, a robin
snags them, they swing
as it flits amid pear trees,
gorging on blush flesh to sate
its calla-beaked nestlings.
Fear not
when a fox stalks. It’s an equilibrist
bound by need. It culls rodents, curbing
droppings that spread bugs
to primates dubbed sapiens
who daub orchid dust on canvas,
drawing vision from pigment and verve.
Marvel as they chisel limestone into pyramids,
coax mold to cure infections,
spin saffron silk to fashion garments.
Trace the threads
to the Nephila spider who knows
that those who can spin marvels can
mend the web they fray.
First published by the Crab Creek Review
(finalist for the 2025 Crab Creek Review Poetry Prize)