I go by the name of
Odette de Grace

the north winds deliver my lyrics
an aged loon couple translates

on the night of the New Moon
they perform their airborne aria

I drift free in the mountain air
pour my tears down the waterfall

dye my dress with the golden wildflower
seal my heart with a safety clasp

my bare feet lead me through the wildlands
tiptoeing among deer and hare

I go by the name of Odette de Grace
you may hear my voice on the breeze
if you’re silent long after the owls and loons

and let the tickle of dark pines shiver your shoulders
to open your mind to the past

I stand tall as the B.C. Redwood
sure of foot on the trails I know

and the courage
to leave the shoreline by canoe

to portage and paddle upstream
finding calm after all tests of weather

in this land of Pauline Johnson
Isabella Vacancy Crawford and Emily Carr

by the brooks I chuckle with the chipmunks
stretch out for a sleep in the sun

choose the veins of trails and twists
spread out in all manner of mystery

I am armed in faith and confidence
healer-listener I am

and my breath rises strong from within
to give stamina for the journey

a wealth of certainty
that to some is denied
for which never to apologize

I beach my boat, to climb the high paths of ancient cedars
am versed in survival and sustenance
and reveries’ songs to keep life gold

I go by the name of Odette de Grace

the night winds strum my smiling sighs
if one knows to listen, and when...

01/20/2003