was it there in the subtle spices and herbs
neatly aligned in the rack that held them
or was it in the wood, perfectly planed
and seasoned with the nuances of
onions, garlic, and other deeply scented
textures that had embraced it’s
cutting surface over time
perhaps the mushroom before me
would express itself as I delicately
sliced its wholeness into many parts
hoping it would confess all it knew of the damp
forest from which it was born and harvested
I stirred the wild rice boiling and breathed
in its fragrance allowing my mind to absorb
its native rice thoughts of the whole plant it once
was blowing upon winds, its face in the sun
it too absorbing the environment in which
it was raised and harvested
later after I had mixed, sautéed, blended
and then ingested these alive foods
I concluded from their essence
the embrace of life’s cycle
knowing we  all share birth in some manner
we all absorb our environments, enhancing
the nuance of our original dna blueprint
and eventually we are harvested or expire
to the world in which we’ve experienced
our life
ah…I know what you’re thinking
the simpleness of a garden being is hardly
complicated enough to compare to the
life of a modern human
for we are grandeur in design
more complex in environment
and we ponder life including not only what
we will eat but how we will eat it
where as the mushroom and the rice
stand stationary and are nourished only
by what earth provided and basked or
shriveled in nature’s blessing or harshness
upon its exposed surfaces
humans no longer expose themselves to
natures whims…we are safely tucked into shelter
we’ve discovered we don’t like to suffer
we like warm and cozy
we like safe and loved
and yet, in the end we too perish from
the physical matter of the earth
scattering our ashes into the soil
where perhaps someday we too
may become the nourishment to the rice
and the mushrooms