October 16, 2026
Amber on the Cedar
Pressed flat against the furrowed bark,
A golden frond outlives the green;
A lace of amber in the dark,
Where summer’s shadow once had been.
The cedar stands in weathered gray,
Unyielding to the autumn bite;
While fragile fingers drink the day,
And hold the falling forest light.
No root remains, no sap will run,
Yet brilliant in the cedar’s shade,
It turns its dying to the sun,
A tapestry before it fades.
A study in contrast from deep in the woods: a single autumn fern turned rich amber and gold, laid against the rough, weathered grain of a mature cedar. Where the canopy has thinned, the low October light cuts through to highlight the intricate veins and serrated fronds against the dark silver bark.
Field Notes: Macro botanical study captured in the Adirondack foothills, framing the geometric symmetry of drying wood fern against textured cedar bark.