Appalachian Ground: Recent Episodes
Lisa Creech Bledsoe
The original poem "Healing of the Nations" can be read here, as well as in the book Wolf Laundry, available on Amazon.
Anyone who loves Lewis Carroll's Mad Tea Party from Alice in Wonderland will recognize the inspiration for this poem. I simply held my own wild tea right here on our mountain. You can read the original poem here, or find it in the book Appalachian Ground.
We adore our two cats, Pippi and Beezus. They are fierce mousers (and chipmunkers, and birders, and so on). And they love their little dog friend, Rocky. But they just can't understand why he gets to sleep in the bedroom with the humans while they are relegated to the rest of the house and mountain. You can read the original at this link, and you'll also find it in the book, Appalachian Ground.
By now I've learned to live with our resident family of crows, and in fact I always found them good companions. They keep me apprised of what's happening on the mountain, and yes, sometimes begin their caucuses at quite the early hour. You can read the original poem at this link, or find it in the book, Appalachian Ground.
I'm a rather serious introvert—a regular mountain hermit— so this poem is a playful reflection on my reluctance to ever go anywhere. You can find the original poem at this link, and it's also available in the book Appalachian Ground.
This is one of my own favorite poems, perhaps because it captures the way I feel found by these mountains and all that dwell herein. This poem appears in the book Appalachian Ground.
I can remember this moment with perfect clarity: where we were on the mountain, how cold it was, all the ancient apple trees that were growing around our little cabin, down by Dutch Creek, and on the ridges around us. Apple branches are so twisty and jagged, and made for quite a maze for these two pretty, bright Romeos, and their lovely intended.
This poem can be found in the book Appalachian Ground.
Since I wrote this back in 2018 I have harvested and enjoyed spring beauties! I don't harvest the tubers (fairy spuds), although I did eat the first few I accidentally dug up, because they take so long to grow and mature. Spring beauties (Claytonia virginica) continue to be one of my favorite delights on the mountain in March, and in salads during the spring months.
This poem appears in the book Appalachian Ground.
One of the things I love about this poem from Appalachian Ground is that it was almost instantly a favorite of those who encountered it. I love how it captures the way the mountains help me clear away the things I think are my problems, so that I can find the root and center of my life.
This is a short creative non-fiction piece from the book Appalachian Ground. You can read this, and see photos of our creek in the late afternoon sun here.
This is the second poem from the book Appalachian Ground. When I read it again, I remembered how hard it was, and still is, to venture out at night on the mountain. But I still try to go out, once in a while, for the gifts it brings me.
This is the first poem in the book Appalachian Ground. It was originally inspired by the John Muir quote: “The mountains are calling and I must go.” I suddenly wondered what this might look like in reverse. What happens when you call the mountain?