You may think it was here before you arrived,
that it will endure long after you have gone.
But dig down deep enough, read the stories
of the layers, of the rocks, the bones, and
you will find that once upon a time
this was jungle. Once it was covered
in mountains of ice. What luck, then,
that we can stand in a shimmering dusting
of snow on this cold but temperate land,
gazing at bare white sycamore limbs.
What great good fortune indeed!