20 May 2024

Creation and the Survival of Whales

 

Source

 

Let’s be the whale’s Big Raven and
release stranded whales to the sea.
Let eating mushrooms give me strength;
let the Great Spirit empower me
 
to re-enact the Inuit
creation myth of unity:
The world cannot be well-ordered
unless we guide whales back to sea.
 
Whether we help 100 pilot
whales of 170 find the sea,*
or only one orca calf*, we’re
reenacting a mystery.
 
Ritual return is creation;
creation is our true story.
If we mean the world to survive,
we’ll acknowledge this history.
 
Again, the Great Spirit rises.
Again Big Raven hears the call.
Again we learn how to strengthen,
so we can be a blessing for all.


#


Inuit Creation Myth according to Wikipedia: ". . . In Inuit creation myths, when 'Big Raven', a deity in human form, found a stranded whale, he was told by the Great Spirit where to find special mushrooms that would give him the strength to drag the whale back to the sea and thus, return order to the world." 

For Sherry's prompt "WHALES! and other wonders" at What's Going On?


My blog poems are rough drafts.
Please respect my copyright.
© 2024 Susan L. Chast



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10 comments:

  1. Mary5/21/2024 2:12 PM

    I really enjoyed the Inuit creation myth and the second stanza of your poem:
    "to re-enact the Inuit
    creation myth of unity:
    The world cannot be well-ordered
    unless we guide whales back to sea."
    Oh, that it would come to pass that the world will have a chance to be well ordered again! It would indeed be a miracle!

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  2. Sherry Blue Sky5/21/2024 2:41 PM

    This is beautiful. Whales and the Inuit are both ancient, and I love that you have drawn this connection. I love "Creation is our true story." So many have forgotten how we were meant to be on this planet. I love this poem which ends so perfectly with your closing stanza.

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  3. Sumana Roy5/22/2024 2:18 AM

    I love the optimism every word radiates in the poem. "Ritual return is creation;
    creation is our true story." I hope everyone will realize this one day. The sooner the better.

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  4. Anonymous5/22/2024 11:08 AM

    I love how you create a sense of tradition and magic - and how special these whales are and how they need our protection - Jae

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  5. Kim M. Russell5/22/2024 11:35 AM

    A lovely prayer-poem about Creation and the Survival of Whales, Susan. I agree that ‘the world cannot be well-ordered unless we guide whales back to sea’. I like the repetition in the final lines, and thank you for the explanation of the Inuit Creation Myth, about which I know very little, but want to learn more.

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  6. alan17045/23/2024 10:07 AM

    I love the way you use "again" in this - it really builds up the poem. A powerful poem.

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  7. Anonymous5/24/2024 12:21 AM

    What a wonderful response to the story of the stranded orca. I felt I was sitting round a campfire hearing an elder tell a story with multilayered meanings. Suzanne - Wayfaring - wordpress blog

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  8. Fireblossom5/24/2024 1:40 PM

    This puts me in mind of a deck I have called Medicine Cards, which represent and describe the powers and properties of various animals and birds. You can use them like Tarot cards if you like. Anyway, this is a fitting tribute to the spirit of Sherry's prompt.

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  9. Rajani5/25/2024 8:13 AM

    Ritual return is creation - how beautiful is that whole story and the idea that we are creating as we restore... love it.

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  10. Dora5/27/2024 2:10 PM

    Oh well done, Susan! Love of these stranded whales point the way. Who can't wholeheartedly yearn as the Inuit to "be a blessing to all"!

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