First layer of moss—curiously
folds itself over a rock,
unsure whether this is really what it’s supposed to do.
How did the first human feel?
Did instincts develop over time
or were they always there?
The second layer takes over,
strongly and firmly, after being released as spores.
It shows off its greenest colour,
proud to live up to its elders’ expectations.
It knows. It knows!
The third layer has a harder time
reaching its rhizoids through layers
of decomposing ancestors.
It slides down softly
and prepares itself to receive instructions
which never come.
Over years, decades, centuries,
the moss piles up and dies
in endless cycle
until there is enough dirt
for a seed to grow
and become a tree,
digging,
digging
its roots
into layers of history.
Sonia Kamnitzer is a 14-year-old poet based in Montreal, QC. She has previously been published in Voices/Voix, Issue 7 and 8. When she is not writing, she can be found reading, singing, practicing her Spanish, pondering philosophy, or cooking. She is the founder of the poetry club at her school and loves going on walks to find inspiration for her poems amongst overheard conversations and little observations.