POTATURA
Fra la collina e le viti
Pruning vines
tracing the lines of the vineyard
Winter light
catches the branches
long lines stretched
along the wires
entwined
suspended in the air
a drawing in space
As I prune
my hands draw in space
I trace
observe, decide, edit, cut, pull
The sound of the cut
the resistance of the wood
the release
Chaos becomes order
order becomes chaos
Each cut
sharp and clear
Tendrils
holding tight
last year’s branches
hanging
An insect casing
bark stripped by deer
old cuts
moss and lichen
Pulling the old growth free
I trim what holds it in place
Freed
the branches fall to the ground
tangled
rearranged
They are mulched
left to decay
or gathered for charcoal
The branches themselves
transform
their lines
becoming new material
a memory of the vineyard
a trace on the paper
unseen connections emerge
Lines
are edited
recorded
traced
drawings in reverse
a cycle of growth
decay
and renewal
What was dense
becomes open
the branches fall
a different image
gnarled vines
between the posts
wires
pulled tight
new shoots
to tie
new vines
to plant
Each line from the vineyard holds a moment—observed, drawn, and recorded.