A Pine Island Genesis
To the Editor:
Somewhere in time there was a warm and tranquil place within a shallow turquoise sea. Vast waving meadows of life-sheltering sea grasses took root and grew in the sandy bottoms. The grassy meadows thrived, spreading far and wide; nourished by sea-filtered sunrays. All manner of sea-living denizens, finny, creepy-crawly, clingy and air-breathing, frolicking swimmers flocked to the sanctuary of that special place. Their sacred life was spent foraging, mating, birthing, playing and in their time, dying to make space for more of their kind. Quietly, for eons, Mother Earth embraced the shallow salty sea as it lay in pregnant expectancy, nurturing its watery populations. The sea breathed in and out, flowing in mystic rhythm with each passage of the earth’s Moonchild.
Over time, Mother Earth found a need to stretch, perhaps to flex a river or shrug a mountain range. In her infinite wisdom, she adjusted to the change by breaking her water, signaling a new birthing process. The turquoise sea slowly flowed away for a while in a vast out-breath. Meadows of sea grass-bearded bottomlands gradually exposed their hoary faces here and there into the air. Sandy, weedy bottomlands rose up above the rippling sea.
The lands basked in Grandfather Sun’s heat. He lovingly called them “I Lands.” Tranquil places of the sea flowed everywhere round and through the bearded islands. Moonchild passed and the sea began to breath again. With each in-flowing sea breath, Mother Earth brought gifts of air-breathing life forms. They washed upon the pristine shores to transform and populate the islands. She brought seed pods from the distant mainlands. Sea-loving mangroves grew a deep fringe of shoreline forest. Infant sea life-forms fed and grew, safe within the sea roots maze. Lofty pines, oaks, palms large and small and all manner of small berry-bearing shrubs and vines took root in the high and dry lands, each in its special place, each thriving and filling its sacred role.
Over time the islands greened and ripened with purpose. Mother Earth invited the animal kingdom to take shelter there, to prosper and multiply. And so in time from distant shores came the four-legged furry ones – the bear, the cats, the raccoon and opossum. Came also the scaly belly crawling ones – the snake, the alligator, the crocodile – and all forms of winged airborne shore feeding creatures, large and small.
Thousands of years passed as in a day. In time, Mother Earth’s two-legged thinking ones from the distant mainlands began to crowd their places on the Earth. Mother Earth whispered word-pictures in the dream sleep of village chiefs. She told them of her islands in the turquoise sea. The bravest of her children launched their dugout canoes and settled on the distant islands shores. Their people flourished on the plenty of the islands and surrounding seas. They grew great in number and settled every island. They called themselves the “real people” and honored Mother Earth who cradled them to her breast. Each island town had a chief and the greatest of them was Caalus. He ruled the place called Tampa for many, many years. Caalus amassed great power and had many warriors up and down the islands. Mainland chiefs learned of Caalus power and gave him tribute for protection.
As all things come and go, so Caalus and his power waxed and waned. New people came to the turquoise sea, found the islands and wrested them away. Caalus and his real people were scattered to the four seas. The new people knew not how to live in harmony with the islands and did not honor Mother Earth. They did not flourish and so they suffered greatly. Some died, the rest left. The islands lay quiet once again under Grandfather Sun.
Hundreds of years passed. All trace of King Caalus and his great realm vanished in the mists of time. Gone were the ancient trading pathways and canals. Only trackless wetlands and swamps remained. Only the great shell mound sacred places gave hints of what had been.
Still more new people came and went to the special islands. Over time Mother Earth’s progeny filled every living place on the mainland. They are learning to hold all life sacred and to honor Mother Earth. The I Lands are revered for their bounty and gentle beauty. From time-to-time the islands give up signs and secrets from the mud and mounds where the real people had lived and loved in Mother Earth’s embrace.
From my book, “Three Little Dolphins, A Pine Island Fable,” by Richard M. Little
Richard M. Little
St. James City