Echoes of Appalachia

The sun spills over the hills like a broken jar of honey,

staining the world in a bright, sudden glow.

The heavy sleep of the land is over.

Where the ground was hard and dark,

a sharp, new life pushes through the soil,

searching for the warmth of a clear sky.

I stand in the open field

and feel the pulse of the earth

rising to meet my breath.

🌷

Everything I carried through the long, cold months

falls away like a coat no longer needed.

The grief that felt so solid,

shattering now within my spirit,

dissolves in the wash of this brilliant morning.

🌷

The redbird moves through the wet grass,

a small fire against the damp earth,

while wild birds I have never seen

fling their music into the wide, deep space above.

🌷

There is no need for words or reasons.

The beauty of the day is enough to break

the last of the ice around my heart.

🌷

I watch the light run down the steep mountains,

chasing the shadows into the hollers,

until everything is radiant and new.

The morning is a wild, strange gift,

and I am lost in the glory of its coming.

Written by Tim Carmichael