I'm not sure how small I was
Big enough to raise my hand
And stand
Small enough I could still hear
Animals talk
I was with a group of girls
Maybe Brownies
Maybe Daisies
Maybe something before Daisies became a thing
Maybe some kind of church youth
I think it was before Daisies
We were in a field
With two grown ups and a ranger
And the ranger had brought an animal
Today you are here to learn about the buffalo
This is a buffalo
This one is a child
Just like you
Even though it looks big
The grown up buffalo
Are much much much bigger
Buffalo are sacred to the native people of this land
The buffalo and the people have a sacred relationship
The buffalo know the people need them to survive
And this is a sacrifice they are willing to make
The people honor this by using every bit of the animal
When they hunt
They don't just eat the meat
They use the bones for tools
They use the internal organs as pouches and bags
They use the hide for blankets
Every single part has a use
Nothing is wasted
Everything is honored
And because of this
The buffalo trust the people
It is said
That if a warrior is pure in heart
The buffalo will stand still
And let the warrior walk right up to it
And take its sacrifice
Now listen close
You should never try walking up to a grown up buffalo
But this is a child
And it knows to trust people
And today
If anyone here is pure in heart
You can walk up to this buffalo
And pet it
And feel its soft fur
So close your eyes
And focus on your heart
And you can pet it
If the buffalo decides
And I got so excited
I don't know how to explain this right
But I know my heart is made of light
So I closed my eyes
And shined so bright
Good, the ranger said
Now open your eyes
And if anyone feels like they can touch the buffalo
Raise your hand
The buffalo met me behind my eyes and said
You can
So I raised my hand
Stand
Said the ranger
Are you pure in heart?
I nodded
Then slowly walk over here
And if you're feeling brave
You can pet its soft fur
I kept looking at the buffalo's eyes
He was quiet
I walked up and in my head said
Hello Mr Buffalo
And he said
Go ahead
So I petted his fur
He was soft and warm
And he said
In my head
You are pure in heart
What are you doing here?
We don't get many of you around here anymore
I'm looking for a friend, I said in my head
He's lost
They think he may have landed here
He's in danger
He doesn't belong here
Everyone is looking for him
And I have to find him
You do have to find him
He said in my head
I want to help you
I can't give you a sacrifice
Would you take a piece of wisdom?
Yes, yes I will
I'll take whatever help you give
Don't give up and don't lose hope
Don't let this world change you
You are here to change it
Remember that
That's very important
Even if you don't remember me
Even if you don't remember where you heard it
Remember this
Don't let this world change you
You are here to change it
I will remember
I promise
You probably won't
It will be very difficult
You might remember if you tell someone else about it
So try that
It will help
Okay, I can tell my mother
But, um, buffalo is a hard word to say
Do you have a different name?
He smiled inside
You can call me Buff Buff
That's close enough
Tell your mother
She won't believe you
But telling her will help you remember
I promise
I promise to tell her
I promise to remember you
And he said
You don't have to remember me
Just repeat this
Repeat it over and over
As many times as you can
Don't let this world change you
You are here to change it
Don't let this world change you
You are here to change it
Don't let this world change you
You are here to change it
————
The above is an excerpt from my upcoming book Composing Ripples, currently available for pre-order on Amazon.
This poetry traces a personal narrative back in time to explore the spirits of our nature, cycles of abuse, and the river that runs through us. Delve into getting lost and finding the way home.
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