Pirate

The year we lived with so many rabbits, this one became enigmatic in my heart and mind. She had one ear that would never stand up, always flopped to one side, she seemed wiser than the others. Her gaze was omnipotent. She was quiet and would not be fenced in. Every night she dug her way out of whatever hutch we put her in. 

We named her, Aunt Cheryl, after my daughter’s friend’s aunt…She was pregnant and determined  to make a nest. 

Aunt Cheryl lined her earthen nest lovingly with grasses and then her chest hair. It was lovely and soft and safe. Concealed with a sturdy grass flap, she delivered seven kits. We loved being a part of her life giving force… It was magical. 

I spent a good deal of time that summer obsessed and upset about the sheer number of rabbits that had come to our backyard. (Another Story) I finally realized that this whole beautiful hot mess was the life that I had actually cultivated… the kids’ friends over all the time, constant feeding of the humans and the animals, the food, the mess, the Joy and the chaos! 

My “journey” was truly pirated by fertility. All of it, the fertility of heart, of spirit, of mind… Once I saw this clearly after much rumination and so many rabbits… I embraced it wholly and named it. I loved the life I created and was a part of. It was messy and chaotic and wild but it was a marvel. Aunt Cheryl became an Icon for this period in my life. I am grateful.