Departing Vancouver International Airport
Grace @ Everyday Amazing
I knelt on the dirt floor of the cabin
and asked the elders for my name
They in turn asked the wind & sky
to measure the breath & bones of me
They looked north for brightest stars
and wingspan reach of the eagles,
Claw prints of the bear & coal eyes of ravens
for spirit of man & animals are one & the same
Listening to the full moon's tide song,
they meditated on my purpose in life
Finally, in a dream, my name came-
whispered by the giant spruce trees
My name is bestowed, entwining my spirit
& flesh, sweetgrass is ceremoniously burned
A pipe is solemnly passed from one to another
While plums & grapes piled ripe on wooden table
Drawing close my fur beaded in red & black,
I draw circles & lines that connect me to the roots
Of our Turtle Islands, of all women:
My tongue rolls my name – storyteller.
Inspiration: Nokomis – She is an Ojibwa artist and storyteller who grew up in the bush north of Lake Superior more than seventy years ago.
