Juniper

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When I think of this place at the beginning,
Years from now,
It’ll be the juniper that come to mind first.

I’ll see the light tangled in the branches,
Catch a whiff of that old, familiar fragrance
And be torn between
Whether the smell I remember is one
From a day when the sun shone too brightly
Or a day when the rain beat down.

I can’t say I appreciated them at first -
A little scraggly, a little rough,
Not beautiful in the way we often think
Of trees as beautiful -
But they are such resilient survivors.
I’ve come to feel a little safer here,
Knowing that they are
Standing small but mighty on the
Western border of our prairie oasis.

It has taken me all week to get an evening worthy enough to photograph these earrings - an evening with golden light and just enough breeze to cool the back of my neck and set the junipers dancing. Though I got eaten alive by mosquitos, I’m going to go ahead and say that it was worth it to catch the glow in these Montana agates.

I’m not entirely sure when I’ll have the next restock ready to go - but I’m still shooting for July. I’ll let you know, with plenty of time to prepare, before I drop these beauties (and the other treasures I’m working on!) into the shop.