Experiencing Khumba

When I slowly brought the brush
down her thigh to her knee,
when I hugged her giant leg,
when I let her give me a smacking kiss
with the tip of her trunk to my neck,
when I looked up into her eye
and tried to fathom its depths –
when she let me do these things,
what happened in my heart
was the crossing of a barrier.

She perceived me.
As few humans have, she saw me.
This grand being permitted
the intimacy of being together.
She did not need to,
did not have to let me close
the space between us.
She crossed the species barrier to be
with a being so small, defenseless,
a being unknowing of her kind,
and unfamiliar with her natural world.

Gratitude wells up in me
for elephant generosity,
for the largeness of her heart.
Her energetic presence stays.
The guide said many years from now
if I returned to see her,
she would remember me.
Khumba is the one whose touch
dropped me gently into oneheart.
I will not forget.

©Susa Silvermarie 2026