Dear Erin,
It was too busy on Saturday to tell you this story, but I want to share it now.
A woman I met while on a writing workshop/retreat at Omega Institute
told me about The Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tennessee.
Right after meeting her, our teacher, Coleman Banks, gave us an assignment
to write about an animal and relate it to something in our lives. I wrote this poem,
below, touched my sisters, especially the one who lives the furthest away, in Memphis.
(It was published eventually in my book of poetry, Sifting Through The Words.) I bought
the elephant spoon necklace for her 50th birthday coming up September 8th:
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| Moon glows in the dark! (available at www.sunshynesilverwear.com, $25) |
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Never Forget by elaine heveron
from the book Sifting Through The Words
There's a woman in Hohenwald, Tennessee
whose calling it is to rescue elephants.
When their circus or zoo time is finished,
she gives them a home.
Feeding these huge hep creatures,
washing them, letting them roam,
she provides a refuge, a safe place
to enjoy their lives,
free from painful isolation,
free from entertaining humans.
An elephant called Shirley, arrived one Sunday,
and stunned her host when she screamed
at the sight of another female named Jenny.
Strangely, Jenny screamed in return.
The shocked caretaker couldn't grasp, at
first, what was happening -- as the
elephant's two trunks intertwined and lifted--
drawing them in to each other. Giant
tears fell from the small gray eyes of these females.
Caresses ensued; for days this affection went on.
Eventually she learned what was clear to elephants
Shirley and Jenny: they were sisters--separated
Shirley and Jenny: they were sisters--separated
for twenty-three years--and now, reunited
at this blessing of a sanctuary.
How can I let my three sisters know
that I love them like that?
In a culture of infrequent touch,
I could cry at the sight of them,
at the fact of their being alive.
take care,
elaine heveron
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I absolutely loved the poem and Elaine was kind enough to allow me to share it with you guys. Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.
| picture by: http://rochester.metromix.com |
