A Ballad About Green Wood

Cycles of life, with fantasy elements. An ax splits wood. Bits of split wood move in stop-motion; one piece has a woman’s face near the top. Water streams in torrents; patches of snow give way to spring. A large black bird flies into the frame. It attacks and splinters the wood with the woman’s face. The piece of wood, whole again, becomes the bird’s body. It flies about, and it’s celebrated by other bits of wood. Then, a man leaves a house carrying an empty pail. He gathers bits of wood. A chimney smokes.