Hues of green dance across the treetops,
Rolling hills meet dark shadows of the valley.
Beams of sunlight canopy the earth...
     radiating beauty,
     illustrating a serene landscape.
A mist blankets the cool air,
Fog pushes down as the trees fight to remain seen.

A figure appears on a bench,
     overlooking mother nature's art,
Still as a rock,
          statuesque and serene.
     Tranquil, quiet, somber.

A rhythmic pattern of breaths breaks the silence,
In, pause.
Out, pause.
In, pause,
Out, pause.
                    Steady, patterned, slow breaths...
          Synchronized with whispers of the unknown.
In, pause.
Out, pause.

The undisturbed calmness screeches to a halt!

The ground begins to crumble,
     Slowly at first...
     Quickly gaining momentum.
The bench and the earth become one as it begins its descent,
Mud and dirt,
Tree limbs and debris,
Brush and leaves,
               tumble down,
               melt together with the figure,
As the earth swallows it all,
     with one large gulp.

Mother nature claims another soul.