This layered life is a concoction
of things sweet and fiery.
Fables and folklore drive this land and
the people of it,
up the holler and into the hills,
away (in)voluntary isolation.
Honeycomb, oil lamps, and good heads
on our shoulders—
a community of individualists
each with hidden talent. Reveal
yourselves from the wooded shadows
and sanctuary of the mountain.
Midnight cigarettes and campfires
illuminate who we are. The moon beckons
backyard gardens and homemade remedies.
We are the wolf and
its pack.
Brett Gordon is a writer and poet from the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina.
Her writing is deeply rooted in and inspired by the folklore and culture of Appalachia.
She loves to explore and celebrate the region through her poetry.
Her first poetry collection will be published in April 2024.