for ancient sunlight,

some betrayed life.

from collapsed mines

to ruptured viscera.

from copper veins to

arsenic lungs.

for this loss,

a golden shroud.

from boiling frogs

to gilded wetlands.

from the wealth of kings

to currency of the dead.

for this hoarded grain,

some became cursed.

combative, consumptive.

harboring civilization 

that persists.

but for our superorganism,

some remain givers.

reciprocal, regenerative.

harboring defenders 

who endure.

we, like white blood cells,

made for this moment. 

we, like ravening wolves,

conspire in shadow.

as we, like a new moon,

rise, rise, rise.

Kim Foster is a photographer and naturalist, serving as a community advocate in Port Orford, Oregon, leading initiatives in sustainable ecotourism, environmental stewardship, and backyard gardening.