grace grits and gardening

ramblings from an arkansas farm girl

so much depends upon a… John Deere Tractor

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so much depends
upon

a john deere
tractor

coated with delta
soil

beside the grain
buggy.

My 16 word poem is styled in the format of William Carlos Williams’ famous work The Red Wheelbarrow.  Not familiar with it? click here—> The Red Wheelbarrow… (I would reprint it but don’t want to tangle with copyright issues…)

The Red Wheelbarrow is a simple poem, one long sentence broken down into couplets. Each phrase builds upon the next, each slows the reader down and raises questions. 

What depends upon the wheelbarrow? the john deere tractor? So much— farming, livelihood, everything? So much. 

I know. I’m being deep this morning. I get this way during harvest:)


talya

Grace Grits and Gardening
Farm. Food. Garden. Life.




Are you alive?

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Congratulations.
If you are reading this post, you are alive.
Do you feel alive? Truly alive? Do you wake each morning excited, wondering what amazing things the day will bring, or do you merely go through the motions with no passion and zero enjoyment? While days disappear, do you wait for your life to begin?
Things will be better next year…when I get married or buy my dream house or publish a book.

We aren’t guaranteed five more seconds.
If you knew you only had one year to live, what would you do?
Still reading?
Guess what? You’re still alive.
talya
Grace Grits and Gardening
Farm. Food. Garden. Life
Musical Pairing:
Led Zeppelin, Stairway to Heaven
This was written for the Write Tribe 100 Words on Saturday. (Write exactly 100 words on the prompt – a story, a poem, a mini-essay). This week’s prompt: Truly Alive. 


Arkansas River – Dreaming from Dorothy’s Ridge

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(written from Dorothy’s Ridge, Little Rock, Arkansas)

Grace Grits and Gardening, Arkansas River
my view from Dorothy’s Ridge
From my spot high atop Dorothy’s Ridge, the Arkansas River appears calm and unmoving, yet I know her water churns from Rocky Mountain headwaters. Winding across our country’s mid-section, she flows through Kansas and Oklahoma before slipping past me.
Although I can’t see the next bend of the river, I know she empties into the mighty Mississippi River.
Although I don’t know where life will lead, I recognize that’s part of the journey. 
Arkansas River headwaters at Leadville, Colorado

Dream of sunrise high atop a ridge
Overlooking the Arkansas
River. Worries seem faint,
Obscured by a veil of morning mist,
Tranquil and
Hazy.
Yesterday fades. My
Summer wanes.

Reflect on this moment as sunlight casts its
Image of tomorrow and
Daylight brightens,
Growing
Endless.

“A river seems a magic thing. A magic, moving, living part of the very earth itself.” 
― Laura Gilpin

talya

Grace Grits and Gardening
Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

Be sure to follow my friend Dorothy’s blog – Reflections from Dorothy’s Ridge. 

Dorothy and Me

Food. Farm. Garden. Life.

THANKS FOR READING!