Growing Our Wildness
Some of the poems in my new book Where Everything Wild Has a Home, Wild Poems landed softly in my heart, while others were ruggedly forged from the chaos of these times. Each poem has helped me to face my fears and stay connected to what I love on this amazing planet even as we are are experiencing the loss of species and ecosystems. I wrote the following story 10 years ago and it seems important to re-publish for this blog.
Blog Post from June 2013
I was hiking up a ridge line when I saw the six turkey vultures. A sighting of them is not uncommon on the Oregon Coast, but on this day they seemed to take keen interest in me as I walked up an abandoned logging road. The trees were young and low growing so there was nothing to stop them from getting close to me as they rode the afternoon wind currents.
The vultures were strong, beautiful and acrobatic. Each one of them took a turn gliding in front of me and then hovered for a few seconds about 10 feet off the ground before soaring upward into the blue sky above. The winds were strong and gusty and I marveled at their strength and precision. After watching them for some time, it was clear-the vultures were trying to get my attention. They continued to get even closer.
My reaction was to pick up a stick, just in case they got “too close". I was afraid of them as well as in admiration of them. I took a deep breath, felt into my heart and asked “Do you want me to know something?”. The first thing I heard was “Put down your stick, we are not here to hurt you. We are here to help you with your fear of the wild.” The minute I got the message they were gone.
Vultures are scavengers and an important component of any healthy ecosystem. The word vulture means purifier. I sense they wanted me to clean up or purify my consciousness around my fears of wild animals and the wilderness.
As I look back to everything that lead up to publishing Where Everything Wild Has a Home I am grateful for the vultures message ten years ago. Breathing into my fear and pausing to listen to the natural intelligence in my own animal body has strengthened an ancient bond with the wild. My hope is that the beauty around you will open your wild heart too, even if it looks like vultures circling overhead. This is my New Year's wish for you.
