Winter Days in the Southern Mountains

Early January. No leaves on the trees. No clouds in the sky. That is typical of the southern mountains of America in the dead of winter.

The sun falls with intenisty upon the earth, blasting down through the leafless trees upon the ground with the power to stir the earth and split seeds asunder.

Here, on my driveway under my house, I see a world of magic. There is no sign of life, yet it is abundantly present. It is real life, but below the ground. The leaves don't grow, the trees don't appear to grow, but their roots grow happily and network with each other and strengthen their connection with themselves and their mother the earth. They enrich the soil, gather nourishment to themselves and prepare for miracles soon to come.


© John Womack, 2007. All rights reserved.