The autumn rain hangs on the bent spine of the sword ferns.
Damp, cool air hugs the shrub-covered ground.
A deer stops behind the mossy pines,
silently drinking from the puddles of water collected between
the tree roots. Her fawns explore their
chilly surroundings
with unperturbed curiosity.
They eat the thin leaves of the Indian plum
and nibble the sweet clusters of
huckleberries left over from August.
A squirrel shifts on a branch,
shaking rain droplets onto the mushroom caps
and logs.
The forest is motionless,
content with her misty shawl.