This is one of those stories. My poem will follow.
Yesterday I woke up and became aware of a "blackout" day. It was a relief to me, since I felt a deep need to retreat. I wrote a poem about it. I avoided social media. And I took care of myself.
As part of my retreat, I decided to take a walk at a local park and look for signs and symbols and messages that might help me through this highly unusual time. The park I chose is down the street from me, the name having historical significance:
Wa-Ke Hatchee Park takes its name from a combination of Native American names combining "cow" and "water." A creek that cuts through the property was an important watering hole for Florida cowboys as the last source of fresh water for their cattle as they headed to Punta Rassa for shipment to Cuba.
I found what I was looking for at the park (explained in the poem), and used my Animal Medicine (Native American) book to discern what the message was. The overarching theme: Don't give in to illusions.
Always good advice.
Then today my dear friend and writing partner Laurie put up a prompt to use a golden line from a song as a starter for a poem of our own. I had just listened to David Bowie's Hunky Dory, and knew I'd go back to his song lyrics. I still recall how taken I was with Bowie's lyrics on this album when I discovered him as a senior in high school. One great songwriter.
Finally, a word on the title. There is singer/songwriter I have had the pleasure of hearing perform, and the good fortune of participating in his songwriting workshops at the Sanibel Island Writer's Conference. His name is Dan Bern, and one of my favorite songs by him is called "Albuquerque Lullaby." Immediately after writing this poem, which uses Bowie lyrics to open and close, I knew I wanted to call it "Wa-Ke Hatchee Lullaby." But I didn't know why. It was a poem about NOT going to sleep.
So I looked up the meaning of lullaby, discovering it can be a song used to pass down cultural knowledge, to expand communication skills, and to regulate behaviors. I had no idea! Sometimes our heart knows things that we haven't consciously processed yet.
The opening of this poem is from Bowie's song "Oh, You Pretty Things." The ending is from "Fill Your Heart."
Wa-Ke Hatchee Lullaby
"Look out my window, what do I see
A crack in the sky and a hand reaching down to me"
to give me a shake from my complacency
The world slowed down this spring
and learned to breathe
And those who let it transform them
didn't need any weapons or superior power
Discovering that this is a time to look beyond
what we normally see -- to stop, look, and listen
to the pain of hundreds of years
designed by those who relish weapons and superior power
Who believe in only one way to get it
Yet it appears we've reached the hour.
I walked where the Wa-Ke Hatchee once quenched the thirst
of those on the road
hoping to quench a thirst of my own
I saw Turtle, Dragonfly, Crow
with their wise messages for me
Ask for assistance and abundance will flow
Break down the illusions that restrict actions and ideas
Let personal integrity be your guide
Marinating in these words for a night and day
illusions began to drop away
a way forward is what I now see
"Gentleness clears the soul
Love cleans the mind and makes it free."
Final note: I went to find a video for "Fill Your Heart" and learned it is not a Bowie composition, but was written by Biff Rose and Paul Williams. Bowie did compose "Oh You Pretty Things."
Enjoy!
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