The Warp and Woof
Grass is the cloth of the prairies,
a pattern of roots woven underground.
In darkness threads of fescue,
vetch, old man’s whiskers,
needle and spear, porcupine,
brome and bluegrass twine
and entwine to bind
the earth together. Grass
emerges like the tip of an iceberg
in a land too dry for forests,
too wet for desert, shows
only its hair. On the surface,
foliage, flowers, blades
and seeds while beneath,
so much unseen,
so much unknown.
~ Diane Buchanan
Diane Buchanan is a poet and essayist who learned to love the land during the last thirty-six years living on a farm on the outskirts of Edmonton. She recently moved into the city and is now missing the northern sky, sunsets, night sounds as well as her daily walks to the slough near her home. She is the author of two book of poetry; Ask Her Anything, Rowen Books, 2001 and Between the Silences, Frontenac House, 2005.
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