Totems

Alright, let’s talk about this… this polar bear thing, yeah, the polar bear totem. Folks say it means somethin’, this big white bear. I ain’t no fancy scholar or nothin’, just an old woman who’s seen a thing or two, ya know? But I can tell ya what I heard and what makes sense to me, plain and simple. First off, they say this bear, this Nanook, is mighty powerful up there in the cold, where everything’s ice and snow. Them Inuit folks, they know a thing or two about…

Alright, let’s talk about this “poe multiple totems” thing, whatever that means. Sounds fancy, but I’ll try to make sense of it for ya, same way I’d explain how to shuck corn or chase a chicken out of the garden. So, from what I gather, these “totems” are like, I dunno, magical sticks you stick in the ground? And they do stuff for you, like fightin’ or castin’ spells. Normally, you can only have one of these things at a time, which seems kinda stingy if you ask me. Like…

Alright, let’s talk about this ‘opossum totem’ thing, whatever that means. I ain’t no fancy scholar, but I’ll tell ya what I know, or what I heard, anyways. So, this possum… or opossum, they say it’s the same darn thing, just different spellin’. Like them city folks got nothin’ better to do than make up extra letters. Anyway, this critter, it don’t live too long. That means if it’s your… totem, yeah, that’s the word, it means you’re young at heart. You see the world like a little kid, even…

[Body] Alright, so you wanna know about this… this uh… opossum thing, right? Okay, okay, I’ll tell ya what I know. Don’t expect no fancy words though, I’m just tellin’ it like it is. First off, they call it a “totem” animal. Sounds all highfalutin, don’t it? But it just means this critter, this opossum, it’s got some kinda special meanin’ for ya. Like it’s tryin’ to tell ya somethin’. Now, these opossums… they ain’t pretty, that’s for sure. Look like big rats with bald tails, if you ask me….

Well, let me tell ya somethin’ about this moose thing, you know, like them Injuns talk about. They call it a “totem,” kinda like a lucky charm, but it ain’t no rabbit’s foot, mind you. Moose Power, That’s What It Is! This moose, he’s a big fella, ain’t he? Strong as an ox, and stubborn too. That’s what them Injuns saw, I reckon. They figured if you got the moose spirit, you got that strength inside ya. You can take on anything life throws at ya, like a hailstorm in…

Alright, let’s talk about this horse thing, you know, like them pictures they got on the walls. Folks call it a “horse totem,” sounds fancy, but it’s just a horse picture to me. But they say it means somethin’, so let’s see what all the fuss is about. What’s the Big Deal with Horses Anyway? Now, horses, they’re big, strong animals. See ’em runnin’ in the fields, all wild and free. Makes you think of power, right? Like, nobody can stop ’em. And that’s kinda what this horse picture thing…

Alright, let’s talk about them garden thingies, you know, the ceramic garden totems. I saw some pictures, and they look kinda neat, I guess. Folks are makin’ ’em outta clay, the kind they use for pots and plates and such. Only these ain’t for eatin’ or plantin’, they’re just for lookin’ at, I reckon. Now, some folks, they call ’em beads, I heard. Like, they stack ’em up on top of each other, make ’em real tall. Sounds like a lotta work to me. They gotta fire that clay stuff,…

Alright, let’s talk about them garden totem thingamajigs, you know, the ones people stick in their yards. I saw some pictures online, them fancy folks got all sorts of pretty ones, but you don’t need to spend a fortune, ya hear? We can make our own, country style! First off, what are these totem poles anyway? Well, from what I gather, them Native folks way back when used to carve big ol’ poles with all sorts of pictures and whatnot. It was like tellin’ a story, or rememberin’ folks who…

Alright, let’s gab a bit about this here… uh… garden totem thing, yeah? Sounds fancy, but it ain’t nothin’ too complicated, ya hear? First off, what the heck is a totem anyway? Well, from what I gather, it’s like… a picture thing. Like, y’know, you draw a bird or a frog or somethin’, and that becomes your family’s… uh… symbol. Like, back in the old days, before all this TV and internet stuff, folks used to have these things to show who they were and where they came from. Kinda…

Alright, let’s talk about this duck thing, you know, like the bird. I heard some folks callin’ it a “totem,” sounds fancy, but I just think it’s a sign, like when a black cat crosses your path, only maybe not so bad, ha! So, this duck, it ain’t just some bird you see waddlin’ around. It’s supposed to mean somethin’, somethin’ special. Like, it’s a messenger, they say. Comin’ from…well, from somewhere you can’t see, ya know? Like a whisper in the wind, but it’s a duck instead. This “Isis”…