The Whisper Within the Soil

In a handful of soil, millions of microorganisms per 1 gram consume oxygen and produce carbon dioxide; moisture shifts between pores within a few hours, determining the pace of this invisible exchange. We do not see it directly; we feel it in the scent of earth rising after rain, in the softening of the surface, and in the way potting soil remains cool toward dawn. In its visualized form, a silent exchange of breath working quietly just beneath the ground would shimmer.