I wish I could transform like the forest floor,

something gradual, powerful, exquisite,

perfect in its evolutionary efficiency

fulfilling its purpose to usher along

the circle of Life and Death

Little fungi and little mites, ceaseless,

undaunted by the scope of the task, 

just as their forebears had once done,

eating the trees that once held Gods,

melting the husks that once housed souls

What do I have that can compare?

nature has given me no immaculate army

to break down carbon and calcium,

turn it into the foundation of the Earth

the same majesty with interchangeable parts

Dead dreams and broken thoughts decay poorly,

haphazard, sullen, sometimes too fast or too slow

and I must tend to them, just me, with sore fingers,

heavy brow, the debt of my ancestors ponderous,

for humanity is still in the clunky phase of evolution

Still, we toil, towards a better future- and I must as well,

taking courage from the little mushrooms that grow 

along wizened bark, envious of the simple lives of ants

and other miniature reapers- what must it be like to live

in the purity of one’s sole purpose!

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Danny Fantom lives in the Godless void of Florida and has a personality mostly made of Halloween, with space for a pop culture reference or two. She's been published in Defunct Magazine, The Daily Drunk Magazine, The Deeps, and more. You can find her on Twitter @ThrillandFear, retweeting pictures of horror movies, desserts, and sunsets.