Remembrance of Katie the Goat
i thank You God for most this amazing
day:for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky;and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes
– e. e. cummings
Katie was all that is natural, infinite and yes.
Katie the Goat was nature’s blessing. She had all the best attributes of her kind. She was steady, keenly intelligent, acutely sensitive, a presence bold enough to move in human circles and command respect. When Katie wanted to step by, you made way for Katie. Katie. A gentle giant, Katie could face down a threatening dog and make it back off with her withering stare. She was strong and determined. She was resilient. She was direct. She had no identity issues. She knew exactly who she was. She was not plagued by existential dilemmas. She was no bullshit. She was a leader, not a follower. Katie was the ultimate forager. Nothing would pass her lips without nature’s olfactory warning system approval, and that opened the door to feasts in the natural world where Katie was happiest. Going for the wild vegetation, reaching for the highest leaves and snapping them off from their twigs with an incredibly deft tongue maneuver, empowered Katie. You knew it was apple blossom time and lilac flowering time because Katie got there first. Her knowledge and awareness of nature was immense. Katie’s death was not due to natural causes.
Katie’s soul is eternal. Wherever mothers worry about feeding their babies, Katie will be there. Wherever people confront the lies of government and industry and the duplicitous and corrupt or just gutless, Katie will be there. Wherever the world is plagued with manmade nuclear radiation – which is everywhere – Katie will be there. Wherever people and animals suffer needlessly and die before their time because of mankind’s reckless development of nuclear power and nuclear weapons, Katie will be there. Katie spoke truth to power. Power cowered before Katie. Katie’s spirit is infinite. Katie’s song is forever.
Katie was yes. Katie sang in the sunshine. Katie danced. There was no negativity in Katie’s nature. Katie smelled as sweet as the sweet grasses she craved, covered in dew. Her life was well lived. Katie gave the world gifts of her milk – her white gold – and gifts of her children. Small children especially loved Katie. They were always surprised that she was so gentle and forgiving for such a big creature. To the baby goats, her back was the best ramp to jump aloft from. To all her children and grandchildren, she was just the biggest thing in their world. Katie was a gift to science and humanity and all who came in contact with her. To those who cared for her, Katie was precious, a gift of divine dimension. She saw everything. Katie was of the natural world and so she had no defenses against nuclear radiation blowing in her wind, settling in her water, poisoning her sweet pasture grasses and sickening her and poisoning the milk she fed the babies she loved. Katie lived for the now. She could not accept her decline. She had complete trust in the future and had no thought that she would one day be taken from her family and her home. She was always surrounded by her family and loved for who she was. Katie touched hearts and souls everywhere. Katie was the best. Katie died before her time.
Katie’s life is history. We are all diminished by the loss of Katie.
Katie is fallen. Katie is in peace. Rest in peace, dear Katie.
Katie and her keeper, Nancy Burton
