That was a thoughtful piece.
They both wanted to go touch it. The land was private, and I could see a house close enough for somebody to notice us, so I advised against walking into those folks’ cotton fields.
I think the touch of the cotton plants is part of the full experience. Other than the white cotton fiber, the plants are very hard and sharp, especially the opened pod the fibers come out of. I don’t know how they were planted in the past, but these days there isn’t enough space between the rows to pass between the plants, when they’re mature, without getting scraped up. It’s OK with protection, but manual cotton picking must’ve been very painful.
