I’m From Wilderness Bright and Hot: A Southern Wilds Poem

After this poem went viral on Medium, I felt that I had something to share. But because it does not “fit” into my other themed poetry collections, it has been floating behind the paywall over on Medium. Until now.
In October 2025, I read this poem during a reading at a local book festival. It was very warmly received, and I had many people interested in buying the book that contained the poem. The only problem? There wasn’t one.
So, until this little beauty finds a themed collection to belong in, I am publishing it here on Written, so everyone can share in the beauty of where I’m from.