The Clearing

This is the black raspberry patch where we gather enough supplies for a summer morning breakfast. For decades, one of our year-round lake neighbors burns out the leaves, weeds and undergrowth that accumulate here. What a way to clear out the year’s remaining clutter.

This year, my husband helped him set the fires. We watched.

I’m not sure what’s harder to imagine; that this spot once held an abundance of lush foliage and fresh, plump black raspberries; or to stand here during the heat of the summer and remember that this spot was once cold and desolate and destroyed by fire.