Planting

Through the Spring the fields have evolved from winter graveyards to nearly pristine piles of dirt. The remnants of last year's cotton plants and winter's weeds have disappeared into the landscape. The rows of soil have been broken far beneath the surface, piled high again, and slightly flattened to make the perfect bed. Finally, the time for planting has arrived. The sleeping seeds are gently laid in a fitted furrow just beneath the surface of the row. Two small wheels, like a mother's gentle hands, tightly tuck the midnight blue kernels into the dirt beds. The planter leaves his own distinct mark in the field. The trained eye of the farmer can tell in an instant that seeds are sleeping just beneath the surface. But, he checks each bed by hand to make sure that the seeds are not so deep that they will suffocate under the blanket of dirt, and not so shallow that they will roll out of bed with a pounding rain and rise up out of place.


The farmer will now wait patiently for morning to dawn. For tiny plants to awaken beneath the brilliant light of the sun and the last of Spring's showers.