once I was a maiden and I had a poets heart

that attempted odes sonnets haiku and verse…

…oh goanna lizard beetle worm

possum wallaby kangaroo fern,

oh wombat bandicoot bird and glider

snake nest flower spider…

 

then I became mother and gained a warriors heart

unflinchingly baring my breast and wiping bottoms

next came the introduction to the sacred places

shepherding children up rocky knolls to dream on full moon nights

swimming in cold rivers

camping miles from shop or television

bringing home wounded birds echidna wombat

teaching respect and kindness

planting seeds gathering fruits

singing the songs and praying the prayers.

 

now I am crone

I am grandmother

and it is a wisdom heart empowered with joy and plenty sorrow.

listening to the earth

the heartearth

She calls me to response

to weave her story into your story so that you may know her

as mother and as home.

 

and so I offer my heartspeak

my place within this forest

my space within this earth

my words within this story

to you and you and you

that together gratitude and respect may once again flow.