Lost Daydream

It is morning warm with December sun
And he pretends it is a summer day
Lying on the cold walkway outside his door
Blue sky tattered with threads of cloud
Letting go, breath comes from barren maples
Inverted airways against the sky–
Tracheal trunk, bronchial branches and
Twigs that taper to invisible alveolar leaves
Looking down, a passing winter raven sees
The boy-man’s cruciform shape–
A tiny pink asterisk of legs and arms
With a punctate white heart–a warming cat
Kneads biscuits on his chest.
I discovered a folder of excluded bits that ended up not becoming part of Slow Road Home in 2006. Some of it might bear seeing the light of day on the blog; probably the most of it was once a blog post, some has never seen the light of day. This is from that folder, for what it’s worth.

It is morning warm with December sun
And he pretends it is a summer day
Lying on the cold walkway outside his door
Blue sky tattered with threads of cloud

Letting go, breath comes from barren maples
Inverted airways against the sky–
Tracheal trunk, bronchial branches and
Twigs that taper to invisible alveolar leaves

Looking down, a passing winter raven sees
The boy-man’s cruciform shape–
A tiny pink asterisk of legs and arms
With a punctate white heart–a warming cat
Kneads biscuits on his chest.

I discovered a folder of excluded bits that ended up not becoming part of Slow Road Home in 2006. Some of it might bear seeing the light of day on the blog; probably the most of it was once a blog post, some has never seen the light of day. This is from that folder, for what it’s worth.

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fred
fred

Fred First holds masters degrees in Vertebrate Zoology and physical therapy, and has been a biology teacher and physical therapist by profession. He moved to southwest Virginia in 1975 and to Floyd County in 1997. He maintains a daily photo-blog, broadcasts essays on the Roanoke NPR station, and contributes regular columns for the Floyd Press and Roanoke's Star Sentinel. His two non-fiction books, Slow Road Home and his recent What We Hold in Our Hands, celebrate the riches that we possess in our families and communities, our natural bounty, social capital and Appalachian cultures old and new. He has served on the Jacksonville Center Board of Directors and is newly active in the Sustain Floyd organization. He lives in northeastern Floyd County on the headwaters of the Roanoke River.

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  1. I love the direction you’re going! These are wonderful sharings. I haven’t known your blog very long, Fred, but it’s simply beautiful, both in words and in other artwork. Thank you.

    Elora

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