For The Love Of Mary: Ch.1 Poem by Audrey Loveland

2018:
Lucy wasn't much to look at, or so that's what she thought,
nothing but an old maid.
Oh sure she'd added a few more rings to her flesh,
like bunched up fabric,
but that's the way it always was.
She gazed out at the pasture, the sun setting in the distant hills.
The dirt soft beneath her feet and the air settled.
Not a gust of wind, or humid breath, just stillness.
That's the way Lucy liked it;
her eyes scanned the scene.
She had a beautiful view of some beeches and oakwood.
The field drenched in rapeseed,
like a lake of gold beneath the setting sun.
And the clouds bursted with hues of purple and pink.
Now, Lucy wasn't much to complain,
she made a point never to do so,
even when arthritis ravaged her joints,
or her skin became so dry they feared for her health.
No, you couldn't get a peep out of her.
And especially when moments like these arrived
could you even hear her breath on the evening air.
She'd linger in her thoughts letting her memories blossom.


I can remember the very moment I was born.
She thought. The first steps I took.
I can remember my mother's eyes and my father's nose.
But what more can you expect from an elephant.
Oh did I forget to mention that Lucy was an elephant?
Well, she was, and a damn good one too.
She used the soft landscape to reflect her life's journey.
From the warm African plain and the seedy underworkings of the circus life,
to the safety of the Sanctuary.
She continued to gaze out,
the sun never faltering from her migration south.
Lucy stood atop the hills, her ivey towers,
away from the other elephants.
She rarely bothered herself with the problems of elephant life.
She really didn't even see herself as one, but rather human.
So it's no surprise that she once lost her heart to one.


The year is 1922, and it's hotter this year then the one before.
Lucy comes into the world with a roar and a thought,
her family gathers near.
The dust settled and the little babe gazed out,
her eyes bouncing from face to face.
Her forehead wrinkled like the ripples on a clear lake.
What is one to think when they're born?
Do they wonder what strange land they have come upon?
With these strange creatures and strange surroundings?
And what does one think of themself?
Lucy felt the strong trunk of her mother
as it wrapped about her squirming body.
The sensation of touch immediately overwhelmed her.
What is this odd feeling? She thought.
The land fell from her feet as she was gently lifted up.
It was love, and it surged through her soul with mighty wings.


Lucy loved reminiscing about her days in Africa.
The sweltering sun beating down on the land.
She ran alongside her mother kicking dust up in her walk.
The Baobab trees and the Kenkiliba shrubs in the distance.
They walked for miles over lengths of sand and mud.
But of course this is no problem for Lucy,
it's just as natural to her as breathing.


A year finally passed for Lucy
and the sandy terrain she knew so well turned into vibrant green foliage.
Lucy loved this more because there was so much to do for an elephant.
Earlier that year the family had a run in
with some angry men who chased them.
Lucy never saw such hatred before,
not to mention such a tiny species.
Good lord, thought Lucy,
what's wrong with them?
She can still see their faces,
wrinkled dark men and one fat white man
dressed in something much too small for him.
Unfortunately Lucy would become all too familiar
with men like these in her future.
Strange sounds escaped their scrawny lips
as they charged toward the family.
Lucy's mother shoved her behind and with a loud bellow,
swung toward the men.
Lucy could see the fat man some distance pull a large stick from his side.
He took aim and out of nowhere
through a puff of smoke Lucy heard the strangest sound whizz past them.
The other men stopped and turned giving the family opportunity to run.
Another sound like the crack of thunder echoed through the sky.
They ran for miles, not even stopping to look back.
When the sounds of blasting finally stopped
and they could no long hear the swift shuffling of feet,
refuge was the next thing on their minds.
Lucy joined her mother beneath a rather large tree
and they gazed about at the distant plain.

"Alright beautiful." A soft voice traveled near,
shaking Lucy from her dreams.
She knew that voice, it belonged to a young woman.
She responded all the time to the name Charlotte
so Lucy only saw her as such.
Her deep red locks were pulled behind her head with a band.
It resembled a trunk motioning with every movement.
Human hair is such a funny thing, Lucy thought,
some have to much of it, while others have too little.
Charlotte's was always the perfect amount.
She walked up to Lucy placing her hand gently on the elephant's face.
Charlotte had a habit of talking to Lucy about her life.
"Well..." Charlotte spoke, "he said he loved me last night, Lucy."
Lucy's eyes shifted toward the tiny woman.
"And do you want to know what I said? "
What did you say, thought the elephant.
"Nothing. I just smiled."
Lucy shook her head side to side,
her large ears flapping like a flag in the wind.
Charlotte chuckled and scratched Lucy's face.
"Ya know, sometimes it feels like you know what I'm saying."
I do know Charlotte, thought Lucy, and I'm here for you.
The tiny human walked with the ancient creature,
like a children's fairytale book,
unlikely individuals becoming the best of friends.
Charlotte was nothing close
to the few humans Lucy had the misfortune of meeting in the beginning.
Her tiny nose scrunched up as she continued to speak,
all the while guiding Lucy down the hill.


They entered the back of a rather strong and sturdy building,
the metal facade only slightly rusted. Just the way I am, thought Lucy,
slightly rusted but I'm strong.
She chortled at this amusement in only a way an elephant would be able to.
What people don't get is just how funny elephants can be.
Quick-witted and sarcasm come to mind,
but not in such a way that people are accustomed too.

Lucy followed beside her tiny friend,
never lagging or ahead.
Her stall was in the very far corner
where the light bulb hung from the socket.
Charlotte did that because the majestic beast preferred the darkness,
not to forget the aforementioned light and its' loose wire.
The lowest octave of humming started occurring some months prior.
It was relentless, like a mosquito set on making meal of one body alone.
Lucy entered her cubicle of hay and blankets.
While the others followed close behind.
It didn't take long for the once quiet building
to resound with chatter from both humans and elephants.
One by one gates were closed, even the hinges had something to say.
Then as quick as it seemed the elephants were alone.

Elephants often dream in vivid colors.
For Lucy it was dales full and vibrant,
that dipped like ripples in the water when the wind blew.
Or the deep rich sands of the African plains,
the grains meeting her feet with a warm hug.
That was after all her life for the first few years.