We Used to Have Pearls

I once asked Old Mother what became of the pearls 
that decorated our oldest roofs.

She said the Spanish stole them in bags too heavy
to carry. Some of our pearls spilled over.

But in truth it was their own souls they carried.
No longer did they shine.

When your spirit no longer shines,
you crave gems.

They wore too much armour
even in the heat.

Old Mother said once your spirit fears the world
that world is broken.

That's when you create something to shield you
from imagined harm.

I think of them dragging our shining pearls
and remember they lived in armour.

Imagine the bodies inside it.

- Linda Hogan, A History of Kindness, 2020