I think the Orange Peel Fungus knows something Dylan Thomas didn't know. Here it is, slowly but steadily, willingingly returning to the soil. The Orange Peel has something we do not have, a subterranean membrane that will usher forth new "mushrooms" in the spring, a kind of connection to posterity. We humans tend to look upward for something that will gaurantee our continuance - a soul perhaps? - but I think we look in vain. I think we should embrace our eventual joining with the fungi and accept our continuance as part of the soil. Our ideas and contributions might survive us as memes, but that's about it. Unfortunately, while the visible presence of these beautiful fungi fades, the chewing gum which defiles this spot will remain indefinitely. Maybe when it comes to permanence, the best we humans can do is manufacture many varieties of plastic. And chewing gum, essentially, is a form of plastic.
Here's a neighboring pair of Ornage Peels you may recognize from an earlier post. I find its deterioration to be sort of elegant, an example of WabiSabi.
The moss will remain green, even under the snow, so it will be among the first splashes of green to greet us when the snow melts. I always look forward to spring, despite my claim to be comfortable with the idea of eventually joining the soil.
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