For as far as the eye can see
and as long as a man can walk
these fertile, cleared fields unroll
with ears of wheat and heads of cotton
in crowds beyond what the mind can count.
Abundance accumulated in this land
runs deep into the blood, sweat and tears
of generations rooted down here,
the fortunes of families tied
to the fickle gifts of earth and weather.
Each year, a procession of seasons
marches through endlessly repeating necessities
of ploughing, sowing, tending and reaping
harvests that communities hope for;
beans, corn, tomatoes, potatoes
each in turn, born out of ground and water,
knowledge and muscle passed on
from father to son and mother to daughter.
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Author Notes
This poem is the first of a four poem sequence called Land; and it is meant as a homage to farmers and their special place in our society and culture. There's is a simple yet all important life, rooted in tradition, faith, perseverance and hope, and I tried to bring these things out in the poems. Technically I think they are also a homage to the poetry of Seamus Heaney, who was such a strong influence on me especially in those formative years when I was in college learning the craft. I hear much of Lough Neagh Sequence and At a Potato Digging in these poems. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them. estory
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