In the Quiet of Undergrowth

By Margaret Towner

El Dorado Nature Center

In the quiet of undergrowth
dwells forest life. Slender
branches drape downward, under
weight of the canopy,
met by slender shoots
reaching upward searching
for morning light. I wander
by still waters of the glassy creek.
A silent ripple opens
to tiny fish that swim
the sheltered water.
I turn to a sudden rush,
catch sight of feathers
a hawk flying low
along the forest floor
Then I follow the bend,
find the place where
the creek empties
into the lake, the place where
sunlight warms my skin,
the place where you once read to me.

Previously published in City by the Sea, Pearl Edition.