Caribou Lichen - Flute and Guitar

It does not hurry –
patiently weaving itself into the fabric of the earth over centuries.

It thrives in scarcity –
mysteriously binding elements of air and rock into fertile soil.

It is beautiful –
a fragile network of branching filaments –
an analog of antlers, river tributaries, root systems.

It teaches that growth is not measured by haste,
nor survival by conquest.

To persist –
to take what is given and make of it something quietly enduring –
is wisdom enough