The Strangler Fig

The mountain people
know how to arc
a living bridge
lofted over the ravines and rapids
hundred of yards high and long
a tapestry so ravishing and intricate
each root and tendril
threaded ingeniously into the sides
the roots woven
lovingly trellised and shaped
crafted with such patience and understanding
a skill taught down the generations
to endure for hundreds of years
which no flood, no tempest could destroy.

How man and earth intertwine
in organic and timeless mutuality
with such beauty, such utility, such grace.