Ecosystem poem

Ecosystem

an old man

shaking

brittle boned

long pole extending

from leathered hands

cracked

a flame at the end quaking

lights the candles

lining the entire

church

on the outskirts of town

starting in darkness

this domed cylindrical spire

of crazed mud and thatch

inside awaken

wick by wick

to melt and pool

at the virgins feet

the pole extends

all the way up

to the high domed ceiling

the spark catching

in succession

from the ground

up

his pole traveled up 

glow by glow

smooth

all white wax

pooling slowly

into lilies 

and mushrooms

the shadows scrambled away further and further

 upward

    until

roots

from the top

hang down in strands

from a cracked mural

of wet shadows

dripping

painted

green

down

flashes

and seeds

scattered

golden

people laid bails of grain 

and chicken heads

at the feet of the virgin 

the wood she was carved out of

tinder

given to

burn

if not for

the moss

that grows

from above