Anna Gall was one of our 2011 apprentices who spoke at Farmers Formal about her experience in the apprenticeship program. She began her speech with a poem she’d written this July during her time on the farm:
Vigil
There is restlessness in my spirit as the days go on …
A bud sprouted, green shoots reach for sunlight.
And my leaves continue to be watered reaching to the depths of my deep roots …
My father and mother taught me simple living as a child.
Life is in the earth, sky, and God.
Watch the soil, weather, and plant life as a vigil.
Forecast the weather by the song birds, the family dog, and the sun dog in the sky.
Baby plants smile in their prepared beds.
The winds bring much reprieve from the summer heat or the destruction of an heirloom apple tree.
Seedlings sigh in relief as the choking weeds are uprooted.
Morning baths promise green life through the scorching afternoons.
Stars gaze at dusk to tell the time.
And night time clouds tell whether a frost settles to the earth before dawn.
Winter snows create beds of life to be seen with spring.
A farmer’s tales are gold nuggets of truth and wisdom to this spirit.
My roots swell and reach deeper with each day on this farm.
I am a farmer, my spirit now hears the call …
Anna Marie Gall
aka Anna Banana
EarthDance Farms Apprentice
July 23, 2011
We are excited that Anna and her husband Dean, an honorary 2011 apprentice, will be joining us next year as sophomore farmies! Anna’s area of focus as a second year apprentice will be on marketing and selling at farmers markets, so you’ll see her every other week at the EarthDance booth of the Ferguson Farmers Market!
Anna Gall working the Ferguson Farmers Market with Molly & Brian, Spring 2011
