I remember searingly
when I need to and
when I don’t
days of youthful summers
grandparent’s lake home
woodlands of
northern Minnesota
Only child
only grandchild
given free rein to roam
explore
discover
understand
all on my own terms
I remember searingly
when I need to and
when I don’t
sitting on their dock
watching
the lake
the birds, fish
other people
self-taught in the fine art
meditating
though at the time I
thought it just
being lazy
I remember searingly
when I need to and
when I don’t
sights
sounds, smells
birds by their calls
trees by their barks
paths by how I had
walked them
I remember searingly
when I need to and
there is rarely a time
when I don’t
– Mark L. Lucker
© 2021
http://lrd.to/sxh9jntSbd
“I remember searingly/when I need to and/when I don’t”
“Searingly” is a key to this whole piece for me – how these places, memories live within us as if those beings planted seeds/spores so deeply we would never forget how to find them when we need to and when we don’t…maybe *especially* when we don’t…like language or the songs of our grandmothers…or those trees and birds. This work reminds me of Robin Wall-Kimmerer’s book Braiding Sweetgrass in which she says “…the land remembers you even when you are lost.” I feel like you would resonate with her work. I highly recommend it.
My favorites of your work is when you describe your experience with All Our Relations (as we Natives say) and how you have been transformed by them. Thank you for this work.
Ramona – thank you again for your kind words. Funny you should mention Braiding Sweetgrass – we had a prompt about that last year, and at least two people have mentioned I would love the book. So I’m downloading it to my Kindle!
I’m glad you focused on searingly, as I thought that word might have too much of a negative connotation.
And I would like to learn more about your native experience.