red clay soil,
hardened into ceramic—
with a trowel
I attempt to chip
my way out of this drought
hardened into ceramic—
with a trowel
I attempt to chip
my way out of this drought
—August 2011
For more than a year, we were in a state of "exceptional drought." The times were strange and trying in a variety of other ways too. I remember squatting down by the ground last August and trying to chip through a small area of hardened sandy loam and clay. Eventually, things got better, though not before getting worse.