Aging in Darkness

A lone black mushroom speaks—aged, unwanted, and lost between life and decay.

Rows of paths
stretch through the malign woods
In the black linings of the Earth's crust
Flood of glue, sullen and strong
In deceitful pride
Like a liquid magnet sealing the ground
I sprawl all over the place
Black from my age
Fermented as wood
Not edible or attractive
I'm obsolete
For both the living and the dead
More of a dead soil
Than a growing plant.

©Godwin Isiwu

Author's Note

The lone black mushroom speaks—aged, unwanted, and lost between life and decay. In the depths of the earth, it questions its existence, trapped in obscurity. A haunting reflection on purpose, aging, and the inevitability of time.