The Mouse Is Dreaming
POETRY FORMAT, 26 May 2025
Puanani Burgess – TRANSCEND Media Service
In a dark hole behind the washing machine the house-mouse is dreaming.
Whiskers, body, tail – twitching and trembling, paws scratching the air.
That mouse he’s a dreaminʻ
of great chunks of cheese, and whole loaves of bread, of a nest made of the finest pieces of cloth and paper
dry, warm and snug,
of living out in the open once again, to be sun-warmed and star-shined,
of walking. Of walking through the territory patrolled
by the cats.
of cat traps, and cat cages,
and cats without claws and teeth; Of a world without cats.
And this mouse, she’s a dreaminʻ
of acres of lo`i kalo, of nets full of `ōpelu, of rocks choked with ʻopihi and limu,
of forests of Koa and ʻIliahi and Wiliwili,
of empty and crushing buildings which no longer scrape the sky;
of living in the open once again, to be sun-warmed and star-shined;
of walking. Of walking through the territory controlled
by the Cat.
of cat traps, and cat cages;
and cats without claws and teeth; Of a world without Cats.
And the mice dream dreams
that would terrify the cat.
__________________________________________
Puanani Burgess (1947 -2024) was a poet, priest, aunty, and friend to many. She was a community activist in the Native Hawaiian sovereignty movement for over fifty years. As the designer and facilitator for Building the Beloved Community – a process that brings ceremony, storytelling, and circles of trust and respect – Aunty Pua shared Native Hawaiian practices throughout the world to bring healing and reconciliation. She served as the Myles and Zilphia Horton Chair for the Highlander Research and Education Center in Tennessee and as a community scholar in residence at the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Hawai’i. Aunty Pua was an ordained Zen Buddhist priest in the International Daihonzan Chozen-ji.
“You want to make a difference? Then start by looking within.” – Aunty Puanani Burgess
Tags: Hawaii, Poetry, Puanani Burgess
This article originally appeared on Transcend Media Service (TMS) on 26 May 2025.
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