Last week our beloved Jane Goodall slipped away peacefully in her sleep. She was still touring 300 days a year, spreading her message of hope and inspiration. She had filmed this final message to us, Famous Last Words, to be released after her death. It was kept so secret that there were no camera men, only cameras, in the room and, at the end of the interview, even the interviewer left the room so Jane could say whatever was in her heart. I urge you to watch it. It is on Netflix. It moved me to tears. Such a humble person, who has done so much for Mother Earth and the animals she loves.
She said she knows she was put on this earth for the purpose of advocating for the animals, and for Mother Earth. She was asked if she still had hope, in light of these dark times we are going through. She said there is always hope, and that we have all the tools we need to help heal the planet, but given the rise of the far right all over the world and governments' and corporations' refusal to address the climate crisis, (profit before planet), she fears we might succeed in being the Sixth Extinction that is already under way.
Sigh.
This week, let's contemplate this beautiful woman, in whatever way you wish. You might like to write about the animals and the natural world she loved.
You might prefer to write about her message, that each of us can make a difference. You might focus on her message of hope, or the urgency of the climate crisis. Or you might wish to write a tribute poem, like the one below, about how she inspired you. Truly, whatever comes to you when you think of her life and her amazing work on behalf of her chimps, other animals, and the planet will be perfect.
by Sue Hardy-Dawson on X
I don't remember when first I heard
Them calling, with their silvery voices,
The little Angels of the trees and flowers.
Them calling, with their silvery voices,
The little Angels of the trees and flowers.
They offered to unlock my mind
And take my soul away, to clean.
And oh! I welcomed them, and lay
Stretched out upon the fragrant
Grass, light as an empty husk.
And take my soul away, to clean.
And oh! I welcomed them, and lay
Stretched out upon the fragrant
Grass, light as an empty husk.
Then they, with rueful smiles, did oil
The rusty hinges of my mind, and swept
Away the cobwebs, and hung my soul
Upon a topmost bough, to air,
Close to the purifying sun. And I was lucky
For as it fluttered there, a robin chat's sweet
Song rose through the trees till every fiber
Of my soul was bathed in harmony.
The rusty hinges of my mind, and swept
Away the cobwebs, and hung my soul
Upon a topmost bough, to air,
Close to the purifying sun. And I was lucky
For as it fluttered there, a robin chat's sweet
Song rose through the trees till every fiber
Of my soul was bathed in harmony.
When all was clean and new they fetched
My soul and slipped it back and, smiling,
Danced away. And I - well, for a day or two -
I looked upon the world with all the
Innocence and wonder of a newborn babe.
And now, if I am sad, or filled
With sudden rage, I find some quiet place
With grass and leaves and earth, and sit there
Silently, and hope that they will come
And call me, with their silvery voices,
And make me clean again, those
Little Angels of the trees and flowers.
~ Jane Goodall
Rest well, Jane. You have earned it.
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