Friends Finds Fresh Eyes and a New Voice to Explore Our Market

We’ve been reporting on and writing about the Farmers Markets in Evanston for more than six years now, and it is a pleasure to welcome a new writer to our fold.

Anna Wittcoff is a rising sophomore at ETHS who is a dedicated student and enjoys learning. When she is not swimming or playing badminton, Anna enjoys playing the cello in orchestra and participating in community service. She is extremely excited to be writing for Friends of the Evanston Farmer’s Market this summer as she has been attending the farmer’s market since before she could walk and talk.

We have asked Anna to explore the market for us–to speak with vendors and shoppers and learn their stories, and to put into words the impressions she has fostered from literally a lifetime at the market.

Anna began her submissions with a verse, and we think it’s a delightful way to begin our acquaintance with her writing. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to see all of Anna’s reports. But read her poem first!

 

A Farmer’s Awakening

By Anna Wittcoff

Crystals of snow-covered ice

   Evaporating from the ever rising sun.

Revealing frost ladened grass underneath.

Icicles dripping

  Buds blooming

    Blossoming under feet of tar rich dirt.

  Anxiously awaiting the sun

Ruffling its amber rose wings.

     Surfacing to open up to the sky above

       Accepting the new day to come

And fondly remembering days before.

  As winter turns to spring and

    Spring turns to summer

      The soil keeping beat with the rhythm of the Earth

      Orbiting showers of light

   Beams of pure goodness.

  Then comes the rain

Beads of hydrogen with dashes of oxygen

  Hydrating lush greens and grass below

Giving life to anything and everything.

  Waking the plants out of slumber

Coaxing animals from hibernation

     And awakening the farmer from his slumber.

  To grow and nurture

To slice and dice

  To glean and preen

Their works of nature

To present to people like you and I

     Bringing light to our lives

Shedding light on the essence of human life and

    The importance of

      The farmer’s awakening.