The Mountains Belong To Me

Title: The Mountains Belong to Me
Author: Linda Dickert
ebook, 64 pages
Published June 3rd 2013

"Cries of coyotes, the croak of frogs and chirping of crickets exemplify the concertos of the Smoky Mountains. I appreciate the age-worn rocks’ accommodating a waterfall’s endless challenge. I hear gospel songs, and I can see myself clogging to great blue grass harmonies."

Linda Dickert’s collection of poetry and prose celebrates life in the Great Smoky Mountains. Her short essays, conversations, and inspirations draw from the happenings in the mountains of North Carolina, sharing with readers the spirit of the Appalachians and instilling an appreciation for the natural world and our responsibility to protect and cherish it. Dickert also gives readers an opportunity to reflect on their own environment and connection with nature.

Let me share with you the wonderful words that recently captured my attention:

"O ye hidden flourishing bloom
clinging to a stem,
Your fragrance reminiscent of the cinnamon aroma
of a grand claret,
Peering through your secret space
Behind a water fall
Lingering in the mist to
Take my breath away"

This is actually an excerpt from a collection of poems that Miss Linda Going Dickert had compiled. The Mountains Belong To Me is such a great book that you would feel the writer’s passion for her work once you read her words. The author has strong ties with her emotions as she talked about Appalachians, the seasons, animals and her beliefs and her philosophy. I loved all her stories, especially her Conversation with Sparky, and the encounter with the Genie, the different seasons and my most favorite - Seventy - a vision of Linda at the age of 70, while she was only 4 years old.

I'd like to applaud Linda Dickert because she made the verses on the book come alive and sing out to the world. She created pictures of delight, beauty, serenity and hope, as evidenced by the illustrations embedded on the collection. Yes, I so loved the background photos she used to portray the emotions of her poetry. Truly amazing!

And the best thing about the author is her advocacy to help the animals that are so close to her heart. It was actually mentioned on her book that "All proceeds from this book will go to Spark Companions, a non-profit organization that helps individuals unable to pay for vet bills."

Reading her passages made me laughed, sighed and also realized one thing: Sometimes you have to go through the hard times to realize how strong you are. And with her strength, she just showed the world, that the mountains really belonged to her.