Mary Oliver writes about the Alligator as a fixture in the Florida landscape:

“In beautiful Florida, he is king of his own part of the black river, ” and she celebrates the strength, speed, beauty, ferocity of this animal.

I recently saw a video about Wally the registered Emotional Support Gator. He’s about 5 feet long and weighs 60lbs or so. His owner raised him to enjoy being petted and cuddled and he takes Wally to restaurants and shopping malls on a leash.

He teaches folk about alligators and he allows them to hold Wally over one shoulder for a “Gator hug” while his tail touches the ground at their feet.

Not sure what naturalist poet Mary Oliver would have made of Wally who will never swim in a river or catch fish. I am all for emotional support, and maybe this was the best option for Wally. Still, there is a thin line between wild and tame.

How tame are we really? What’s going on these days with your wild side? How does the one inform the other? Been to the river lately?

In wisdom and grace,

Rev. Ruth