Chicken of the Woods,
an attractive mushroom,
vibrant yellow-orange,
fungal fruiting body,
edible for humans,
foragers often hunt.
I've tasted it too,
Not sold by the flavor—
I would skip.
But this mushroom,
looking so innocuous,
can spread mycelium
through a tree’s core
and rot it,
from the inside—
toppling all the
30 feet tall entity.
Yes, I have seen,
huge, old Eucalyptus,
once strong and thriving
now hollowed, with decay.
So landscapers mark
the tree trunks,
with orange crosses
and chop them down
to prevent casualties.
Also, so spores can’t
infect healthy trees.
Don’t underestimate,
any living being,
even a fungus!
They all have weapons—
even to decimate giants.
Should we still doubt,
after living through,
a deadly pandemic?
About the Creator
Seema Patel
Hi, I am Seema. I have been writing on the internet for 15 years. I have contributed to PubMed, Blogger, Medium, LinkedIn, Substack, and Amazon KDP.
I write about nature, health, parenting, creativity, gardening, and psychology.
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Comments (4)
Things in small doses are good, but when they take over, Look out. I do remember seeing these kinds of mushrooms on trees in the woods where I grew up, but for some reason I did not want to taste one, but they did feel nice to touch. Good job.
Wow, nature is powerful and full of surprises—thanks for reminding us to respect even the smallest things!
I love this well done from me too ♦️💙♦️
Wow. This was deep and very informative. I like the stance you took on this one. I learnt a lot while enjoying its flow and rhyme. ‘ …infect healthy trees. Don’t underestimate, any living being,’ this bit rhymed so well that I had to read it again. It was such a strong poetically commanding line. Well done Seema! ♥️🤗