Restoring & Celebrating Wild Appalachia...

The Weight
Deep eternal sadness pervades
…..Felt by the woods, now a single tree
Limbs stretched upward as if to keep the sky from falling
Overlooking homes with plastic faces
Factories manufacture land as “progress” continues to be made
…..Felt by the girl who silently farms on the Appalachian hillside
Knees black with dirt she tries, desperate to restore what had been taken
Root by Root…Seed by Seed….Earth and Hand……
Piercing the veil that lie between
Searching for the Source
..…She finds the Great Mother
An immortally stoic presence
Standing silently weeping …yet still strong and tall
Roots running so long and very far afield
Limbs outreaching…
Aching heart and knowing mind
She reaches out with her Gift unwavering
Bestowing light to her dying Mother
Her gift is met with a sigh…
Sounding on a passing zephyr
You are the gift murmured the Great Mother, from you I need no other
You are a brilliant star among many…balancing the dark of Night
Life is death and Death is life


The Wind and I
Winter’s nocturnal silence lulls my neighbors to sleep
Her rain drops slowly giving over to fresh fallen snow
Conjuring memories that remain untold
I listen to their sounds appearing like whispers
Slipping from the sky with ease
Echoing as they land on the now white ground
Soon all that was will be transformed
By a whirlwind of frantic flurries
And the night continues on
Stars once vibrant are now hidden by the storm
Whirling wind and frozen vapor
I hear a knock at my door and listen wearily from inside of my Shelter
I, unlike my neighbor, do not sleep
Tirelessly trying with no found peace
The floor has holes and the roof is weeping
I have lit a million matches with no return
Why am I still here? And why am I not warm?
The knocking continues. I open the door.
Icy tongue reaches out and licks me
Cold breath rushes by
Is it friend or foe? I think I know
The Shelter blows to pieces

Fairy Tale Wedding
Wandering along the forest trail
Lost in thought
Leaves crackle underfoot. Winter sky seems pale
Just a little walk in the woods I find myself thinking
Much like many others
Not seeming to find something new to discover
Up the hill and then back down
Hearing water trickling I turn and follow the bend
Suddenly submerged by the understory of pale beach trees
Leaves flicker like flames in the breeze
Forming a canopy overhead
Pale delicate wedding lace unveiled
Reflecting the image in soft moving water
A wedding venue fit for the fairy queen
Were they expecting me?
