Marcyn Del Clements

Danum River Valley, Borneo

There is an alchemy in the rainforest. It has nothing to do with what you want with the rest of your life. A white butterfly turns blue in a ray of sunlight, then lands. It has black lines like a Monarch, with an orange patch on the bottom of the forewing. A forest gecko barks in the woods, like a small dog. Light on the Mengaris trees turns the honey-colored bark burnt umber. Indian cuckoo sings from first this side of the canopy walk tower, and then the other. We never saw it pass. The Orang-utan, baby hidden in her massive arms, now visible, now not.

a falcon calls
in the fog the canopy walk
lifts and sways