She moved with Grace, flowing through the landscape of
vines and trees, valleys and curves, carrying her shimmering black banner
My darling, the Pirate
What day is it? Oh, yes – Tuesday. Class Day. Did I forget? Are we going? Steam is rolling off her tongue and light is beaming from her eyes.
Recently I got a paperback copy of “Enemy of All Mankind” (yes, the book about a global manhunt for a pirate). It had been on my mental reading list for a while. But before I could turn a page, it became, ironically, pirate booty. Who needs the back cover or the end of the last chapter anyway? It’s a bit dog-eared but largely still readable.
I love this pirate in her elegant black coat that moves with her fluently and shimmers in the sun. I love her deep-set brown eyes that reflect wisdom, humor, kindness and energy. She turns each walk into an adventure, each trip into an engagement activity, each interaction into a bonding moment. I begin to wonder whether I am more student than teacher, again.
There is more life to be lived than we know about as humans, and it can be difficult to dissuade us from our thoughts, to recognize opportunities for us to open up to new perspectives, or even to the plants and creatures in our own backyards. This is a job for a Pirate! She misses little, from creatures or items smaller than the tip of her toenail to birds that fly above and larger creatures that roam the fields. She would love to fly and seems to think it must be possible for Newf pirates also. I explain that not all creatures can fly. Cats can’t fly. Cows can’t fly. Then I had a dream that she bolted away and ran into an airfield, into a plane and somehow started the engine. She was flying. But I began worrying: how would she get back down? Landing wouldn’t be as easy. I wondered whether we could send a drone up to extract her.
By listening to her, I see an eagle circling above, or a tiny bug scurrying in front of her, or the screw that fell from computer housing, lost long ago. I see the opportunity for joy that emerges when the door is opened, when each new morning arrives.
Boldly go . . . And listen.