Brent Burkey / Abundance in the Summer Woods

BRENT BURKEY, AGE 13

The burnt, dry, ground is scorched in the sun. Suffocating heat ripples around me. Birds chirp in the distance. I look toward the glistening green and shaded woods. They seem quiet and calm, but inside they are full of life. That is only if you look deep inside. Not just from the outside but deep into the roots of the woods. Only then can you see what the woods are all about.

The woods are not scary. They are much more than what they seem. They are not just a lot of dirt and plants, but a deep and complex system. The cold wet ground is a safe haven away from the heat. Mighty lush trees provide shelter to all, no matter who. Mice all the way to moose roam and savor the summer woods.

Smells of bark and unique plants draw me in. As I get closer, the more I feel, see, and wonder. I step into the shade and realize what it’s all about. The woods don’t just bring a great physical feeling but also a place to clear the mind and become one with your surroundings.

Brent Burkey

Brent Burkey has lived his whole life in Decorah, Iowa, on an acreage with plenty of woods. He’s a new author and wanted to share the wonderful feelings and inspiration he finds in the woods with readers.

Editor’s Note: We created Future Focused, a new Inspire(d) column written by pre-teens and teens, to help give the next generation an opportunity to share their voices. Partnering with Dana Hogan, the Extended Learning Program teacher at Decorah Middle School, we offered prompts around the idea of abundance for this issue (and Dana had the genius idea of a metaphorical “Abundance Jar”). Students submitted some really great work, and five were chosen for this Inspire(d). Check out the rest of them, and all the Future Focused submissions published so far! Here’s to Listening to the Next Generation!

– Inspire(d) Editor-in-Chief Aryn Henning Nichols

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