4-1 The Elephant Connection

The Elephant Connection

She has a thing about elephants.
A big thing - given subject of elephants;
but more than that. More than baby
elephants being cute. It's all the baggage
they carry, not in their trunk, but their psyche.

Constancy. The matriarch of the herd
a consummate mother. As is Paige.
Her bootstraps are stretched, for
she's pulled on them relentlessly.
She's fallen but scared herself to her feet.

Loyalty. Unshakable devotion to those
whom she loves. No matter how big or minute
the corner, she will fit in too. Standing
in front of you, guarding your back. Feisty
and fierce. You can't turn this page.

True. She's learned from lies. Seen
through that dark; now lets her light shine.
No more does she lean on deceit, now
she trumpets truth. The light in her eyes
is soul-deep: it radiates understanding.

Love. She learned from her mother about
the right kinds of love, the 'it matters' love,
the tough and the strong. Having fought it,
she's realized the life in it. And it matters.
Forward and back the generations, she loves.

Motherhood. Ever a daughter, now, too, a mother.
Frames her children's lives in what matters, what's right.
Fosters joy, curiosity, being steadfast in belief.
The student, having learned, now teaches her own
about inner cores, pure spirits, being themselves.

Intelligence. Far smarter than she knows or gives
herself credit for; hiding behind blond stereotypes;
but sometimes, she dyes her hair red, and then
her smarts come out to play. She's nobody's fool.
She's proven herself time and again. Starting to believe.

Family. It's all about the clan. Keeping it strong,
knowing when it is time to move on for the good
of the whole. Knowing when it's time for tail to trunk,
when the tusks must come in to play. Family's not just
blood from blood, there are deeper connections.

Memory. Paige never forgets. Nothing big is ever
lost. She pulls from the antique those pearls of wisdom
or joy. Brings them forward; give them new life.
Tried and true resonates, communicates and she's listened
to the trumpet calls of the past in her journey.

She has a thing about elephants.
Her spirit animal, her guiding light.
She follows one tracking movements,
seeing the path it chooses. She's learning
to choose well herself. She's on the right path.