I hear rustling in a tangle
of mature trees and overgrowth
as I run by. Chipmunk probably.

Oh, no, I play what if
in the extreme: a bear,
a coyote, a bobcat, another

human hiding in the understory
from danger in the open.
I stop, look for a way

in. Oversized dragonflies
helicopter overhead.
I take their iridescence

as a sign to absorb
whatever comes next.
Parting the rushes,

I see it. The bog.

What isn’t visible:
mummified bodies keep
quiet along the false bottom.

This is no secret track
only patience will reward. This is
an entirely new language

I want to float on.
My soggy green limbs
do not resist.