Appalachian Birdsong; Native Son #5

This piece is part of the Appalachian Birdsong series which is drawn from my experience growing up in the mountains of Appalachia and a lifetime of wandering the mountain trails of the region. These are fictions created from various sources, some remembered, some documented from hikes, some invented. The natural world was playground and sanctuary for me in my youth and as an adult I would come to think of it as the “real” world apart from cultural inventions. I wanted the work to embody these sentiments as well as suggest sounds, and reflections on cycles of life, death, and regeneration, the figure being an integral part of the story. It is not about Appalachia, but about being Appalachian.