Corn Husks & Gratitude

Corn Husks & Red Onions, 2018 Photo by ERSwett

What is it
about corn husks,
besides their enticing shade of
light green, fanlike spread on the pile,
and their capacity to
​protect?

Corn Cobs & Shreds, 2019 Photo by ERSwett

For me, it is
much more than the
reassuring taste of what they contain.
It has to do with their history, and the fact that corn
was originally a gift from the indigenous people who lived in
New England to my people, who showed up
500 years ago, unannounced and
unprepared. The results
were not pretty.

Grilled Corn Husks, 2017 Photo by ERSwett

I am deeply 
grateful for the gift
of corn then and now. Though
today it has a different purpose, perhaps,
inspiring a new point of view on the conversations
that gift started centuries ago. Who has the
right to what land and for what
purpose? And who is 
going to care
​for it?

Dried Corn Husks, 2018 Photo by ERSwett

It is an honor
that later today I will
be among friends new and old,
celebrating these Compost  Compositions.
They are at once framed compositions of color, shape
and texture as well as narratives about what it
means to live in our world today - - the 
beauty and the mess of it all. Some
days it feels more beautiful
​than others.

Dryer Lint, 2019 Photo by ERSwett

Today,
I choose to see
the beauty of what is,
not just in the compost pile,
but in my life. Please come see the
show at AVA Gallery.
​It's really cool.

And also, please
take a moment this weekend
to express gratitude for all those before
us who made our current
harvests ​possible.