An Appalachian Sunrise

by Kim Bemis

Title

An Appalachian Sunrise

Artist

Kim Bemis

Medium

Photograph - Photography

Description

Carole Schauer wrote beautiful prose about my "An Appalachian Sunrise" piece. It is shown in the "Shared Visions" display at the Art League of Ocean City, MD.

I took the photo at the Purusha Capital, a meditation retreat in West Virginia. I arrived at the retreat in the middle of the pandemic. Carole's writing captures the essence of my own renewal experience:

APPALACHIAN SPRING
Inspired by the photograph "An Appalachian Sunrise" by Kim Bemis

It is an awakening—one that we long for. Beneath the shimmering mist, there is a stirring. The winter snow is melting. The warm sun is breathing back life into the mountains. The chill is disappearing. A long winter’s nap is coming to an end.

We too are in a long winter—the season of the pandemic. Some of us are at a standstill, a time of dormancy, where activity is suspended. We lie in wait, protecting our bodies from the enemy; yet, nurturing our souls, the essence of what makes us human.

There under the haze is a stirring of plant and animal life. Wildflowers are starting to spring into glorious color—bloodroot, larkspur, iris. Dogwoods and redbuds are putting on a show—whites, pinks, and reds. Animals are on the move—groundhogs, beavers, rabbits, bears.

We too are starting to stir under our miasma. Glimpses of a soon to be vaccine are offering hope. In our latency we anticipate emerging and becoming active and visible once again—to resume normal life, one where we are fully present and alive.

Underneath the mist, there is movement of unseen melting ice and growing waterfalls and streams. Local residents—goldfinches, cardinals, bluebirds—are soaking up the warmth and bursting into birdsong.
Returnees—redwing blackbirds, warblers, orioles—too are singing. Others will only be heard for a short time before moving on.

We too expect to thaw with the coming of Spring. With the hoped-for protection against the foe, we expect to bring back the wholeness of life—a life where we flower in sunshine and warmth, and finally can sing the song of freedom and thanksgiving. We await our Spring.

Carole Schauer

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August 31st, 2020

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