Making Knowledge I. Poem by Linda Kaastra

I. I Am Allowed to Speak

Something sits in the very heart of my wall of books
A flute, in its case, its strap seductively draped across two shelves
So powerful this knowledge of
Inside the attic and Out in the field
Soaring with the Eagle
And Lurking like an Orca
A call from ancient cultures the world over
A whisper for those yet to come

The vehicle of dreams from distant places
The tool for rekindling hope
The prayers, still relevant today, emerge unbidden
A byproduct of its delicate play

This flute is
More powerful than any wand
More meaningful than prose
As close to me as the very air I breathe
An extension of my body, mijn liif
It is both my purpose and my aim
It is my voice

I exercise my right to speak
and to dance on the wind of my forbears