thundercloud...
the quiet parrot told me of a man. a great indian chief named
thundercloud. he had come upon him by a lake in the delaware valley.
and he went to the mans hut. and drank tea with him. and thundercloud
asked him. have you ever talked to the animals. he paused and in his
knowing way answered before giving the man a chance to answer. i think
you have. i remember the first time i talked to the animals. my father
had brought me to a zoo. and it was feeding time. and all the buffalo
were fighting to get their place in the trough. but this big bully of a
bull had pushed his way through and was having it all to himself. so i
looked at him and said hey you. and he raised his head from the
trough. hey you. come over here. and the bull trotted over to the
fence where i was. and i looked at him and told him. youd better get
back over there before they eat it all up. and he turned away and
trotted back to the trough. later on he asked me. have you ever
travelled among the spirits. and once again in his knowing way. he
always answered his own question in this way you see. in his knowing
way he answered himself. i think you have. one night in my dreams i
came about a place. inside was my father and his friends sitting about
smoking the peace pipe. and i entered and sat down next to him. he
looked over. it is not time for you to be here. i stood up and left.
several times after that i returned to this dreamplace. now i go there
often. and i sit next to my father. and i smoke the peace pipe with
him and his friends.
the quiet parrot told these stories as if they were his own. his
english accent inspiring a magic in the words. at the end he told me
where to find thundercloud. and i wrote it down. and i remember it.
and someday i will meet him. and listen. to the stories. to the magic.
muse@musespace.com