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Migrant Bird Two
JOEL HERNANDEZ
CANVAS
PHOTOGRAPHY
43
The Gardener CAITLIN TESS ZITTKOWSKI
Ancient oak trees tower over the butter-yellow shrine of my childhood, engulfing the house, the home I've outgrown, in a protective cloak of cool shade. Bright sunlight sifts through the dark green glossy leaves and plays across the Gardener's pale face.
A haystack of hair piled atop her head, she dons her denim overalls, smeared with rich earth, and escapes to her serene safe-haven, her backyard. Here she seems content to pass the precious hours of her sultry summer days, tin watering-can in hand, surrounded by the flourishing fruits of her labor.
She caresses the daffodils, the golden trumpets of her garden, and the bluebells, ringing in the gentle breeze, with her cracked and care-worn hands. A bead of sweat trickles down the furrowed terrain of her forehead; fresh dirt caked under her nubby fingernails, she is Mother Nature.