Chicken-of-the-Woods Mushroom

Chicken of the Woods,

an attractive mushroom,

vibrant yellow-orange,

fungal fruiting body,

edible for humans,

foragers often hunt.

I've tasted it too,

Not sold by the flavor—

I would skip.

But this mushroom,

looking so innocuous,

can spread mycelium

through a tree’s core

and rot it,

from the inside—

toppling all the

30 feet tall entity.

Yes, I have seen,

huge, old Eucalyptus,

once strong and thriving

now hollowed, with decay.

So landscapers mark

the tree trunks,

with orange crosses

and chop them down

to prevent casualties.

Also, so spores can’t

infect healthy trees.

Don’t underestimate,

any living being,

even a fungus!

They all have weapons—

even to decimate giants.

Should we still doubt,

after living through,

a deadly pandemic?