By decay, I mean death and its attendants. Detritus and carrion. Decomposition. The rank rot of demise invades every corner of life, a weltering profusion of scavengers overhead and underfoot. They sort and clean, engineering life from death in dank procession, so that leaves grow anew and grass sprouts fresh for the grazers. Scavengers both hasten and stem entropy’s tide, converting order to chaos to order again. Rapid and ageless, decay is our most accurate measure of time, and our most pervasive reminder that time is measured.
The hawk attack prompted me to pull this piece out of my files. The writing is old, but some of the photos are new.
Rae Spencer 
Rae, in particular, that last sentence is incredible…
Thank you! I remember when I finally got this one “right”. One of those writing moments that makes the five-hundred previous attempts/failures worthwhile…
Love this, Rae. I am fascinated by the decay, decomposition, and death in all of nature. It is so absolutely essential. Through death, life comes, as you so beautifully write. Thank you for this. And as always, the photographs are a delight.
I really enjoy reading your posts! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for reading! I’m delighted to have found your blog through this comment. I enjoyed your recent photos and plan to spend some time going through your archive.
Beautiful; vivid, Rae, the writing and the photos.
Jean
It may be that the “writing is old” but the words are eternal. The new photos only add to the wonder of life’s cycle.
Shar
Thank you, Sharon!