Sapelo Sunrise

In the darkness, fishing boats mark the water, tiny stars at the edge of sight.

A thin line of the clouds emerges on the horizon, indistinguishable from the pine tree tops on the dunes of Cabretta Island. Overnight, the sound of the surf has shifted south; I hear the distant breakers fall on Nanny Goat Beach. Venus rises mightily from the sea while clapper rails “kek kek kek kek” in the dark marsh before me.

The chill of the dawn sends me for a sweatshirt and socks. When I return, the earliest light finds its way to the salt marsh, a ghostly reflection amidst the black. Now that I am still, I see the earth turn.

Cardinals and wrens call out for the day. My mind drifts back 18,160 sun rises; I find myself on East Beach on St. Simons, a young man with notebook in hand, praying the sun up, with hopes of meeting God there. So it has always been. . .

Venus has faded, overwhelmed by a greater light. The pines and live oaks now stand in silhouette against the ice white water, and once again the sound of the surf shifts north. Six herons flap south.

An amorphous ball of pink and orange sets off silver waves lining the clouds on the horizon. In a breath, the sun appears. Too soon I must look away and when I return my gaze, it sits entire on the ocean. Another blink and it is partially obscured by clouds. Kinglets and wrens and blackbirds sing to greet the day.

The sun now owns the horizon, ocean, air, marsh, clouds, all consumed by its might.

Good morning, Sapelo.

---

---

The Community of a Fig Tree

On that day, says the Lord of hosts, you shall invite each other to come under your vine and fig tree.”

-- Zechariah 3:9-10

On a hot summer day in August of 2020, the figs on our farm, in riotous abundance, called me and many of the more than human world to enjoy the bounty. Sitting under the shade offered by the luscious leaves, I fell into a reverie at least in part inspired by the heat, the fermenting figs, and the buzz of 10,000 honey bees. My reflection on this reverie became the first chapter of A Book of Season, which will be published by Mercer University Press in May of 2026. Watch this Substack for information on how to order.

---