The God of Blackberries requires child sacrifice, blood and scratches, owies laid open, knees scraped and elbows skinned.
Walk into the brambles and shuffle the canes, picking as you go, but leave behind rich redness and pain.
The God of all Blackberries demands a price, stinging skin pierced by thorns you didn’t know about until the lemonade spilled.
And who is to say at the end of the day whether or not you lie when your red-smeared mouth proclaims you ate none, brought home all.
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ROSANNE GRIFFETH
Rosanne Griffeth lives on the verge of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and spends her time writing, documenting Appalachian culture and raising goats. Her work has been published by Mslexia, Plain Spoke, Now and Then, Pank, Night Train, Keyhole Magazine and Smokelong Quarterly among other places. She is the blogger behind The Smokey Mountain Breakdown.