Bearing Witness
Tune for a Monday Morning

The Coyote Clan

copyright by T. Windling

From An Unspoken Hunger by Terry Tempest Williams:

copyright by T. Windling

"Members of the Coyote Clan are not easily identified, but there are clues. You can see it in their eyes. They are joyful and they are fierce.  They can cry louder and laugh harder than anyone on the planet. And they have an enormous range.

"The Coyote Clan is a raucous bunch: they have drunk from desert potholes and belched forth toads. copyright by T. WindlingThey tell stories with such virtuosity that you'll swear you've been in the presence of preachers.

"The Coyote Clan is also serene. They can float on their backs down the length of any river or lose entire afternoons to the contemplation of stone.

"Members of the Clan court risk and will dance on slickrock as flash floods erode the ground beneath their feet. It doesn't matter. They understand the earth re-creates itself day after day."

Their range is wide indeed...all the way to the green hills of Devon, and far beyond. Here in the Mythic Arts field, I like to think there's a little coyote in us all.

copyright by Shreve StocktonPaintings above: "Coyote and the Dog Spirits," "The Coyote Clan," and  "Coyote Woman."  Photograph: "Howling Away at the Gray" by Shreve Stockton, from her wonderful Daily Coyote site. I also highly, highly recommend her book of the same title. More coyote reading: articles here and here; poetry here, here, and here.

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