| One oak grows larger than the others, singleminded, gathering water and light from all directions, sheltering the fragile forest plants that grow below it, in the valley of the old swale where sea oats once sprouted among shells. |
| Fanned blades of sunlight grow into a palmetto grove under gnarled trees, drawing the wanderer along a sandy path that grows soft with bay leaves and pine needles, as fingers and hair sprout twigs and thorns. |
| Serpent and cormorant become vine, creek, and tupelo root, all creeping toward the confluence of a hidden freshwater lens under the island forest, rejoining after an illusory separation. |
