White Bison
A News Response Poem
A spring storm fills the sky. Lightning crashes across the tallgrass prairie, and thunder fills the air with a rumble so deep it seems to come from inside the earth. The mother bellows, a primal cry, announcing what is arriving. As the storm rages, new life slides into the world. The calf drops to the ground unceremoniously, hitting the hard plain, covered in placenta. The mother bites and pulls, cleans away blood and slime, revealing the mystery. The calf is born not like the others. Absent of color, it stumbles to its feet, unsure, unsteady, knees knocking and locking until at last it finds its footing. It lows, an infant's cry, looking for its mother. Does the mother see it, the hue of her calf? Does she see her baby is not like the others? Does she see the symbolism of difference, the polarity, the divine spark in what is unique, a sign of hope, of unity, of abundance to come. A month later, the calf stumbles again. Then one morning, it does not rise. The prairie keeps its silence. The mother, udder swollen, confused, searches for her calf. She bellows again. This time, with grief at what is gone. But does a month of wonder still hold a promise? For a month, the mother walked beside a miracle, so many miracles. And we did too. Perhaps that such a rare thing happened at all in this season of storms is reason enough for hope.
Author’s Note: In the spring of 2026, an exceptionally rare white bison calf was born within the bison herd at Iowa’s Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge near Prairie City. The birth drew widespread interest and renewed attention to the refuge’s ongoing work to recreate thousands of acres of native tallgrass prairie, one of North America’s most endangered ecosystems. Home to a free-ranging herd since the 1990s, Neal Smith is among a small number of national wildlife refuges where bison once again roam the landscape they helped shape for centuries.
For many Indigenous nations of the Great Plains, the white bison is considered a sacred and powerful symbol, often associated with hope, spiritual renewal, unity, abundance, and the fulfillment of ancient prophecies calling people to live in greater harmony with one another and the natural world.
Read about it here: KCCI, Des Moines Register, Newton Daily News.
“BEST SELLER” POETRY BOOK ANNOUNCMENT! My new poetry collection, You Were Never Lost: Poems from the Tallgrass Prairie, was recently released and is now officially a best seller in the “Death/Grief/Loss” poetry category. What a shock and wonderful surprise. Thank you for your many notes sharing what the poems have meant to you.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR AMES, IOWA EVENT: KHOI and Ames Writers Writers Collective will be hosting a book launch event in Ames on July 9, 7 PM at KHOI. Details below.
WHERE TO GET THE BOOK: The book is available locally through Beaverdale Booksand through major online booksellers, including Amazon and Goodreads.
REVIEWS REQUESTED! And if you do read it, one of the kindest things you can do for an independent author is leave a short review on Amazon or Goodreads. To leave a review, simply go to the book’s page on Amazon or Goodreads, click on “Write a Review” or “Rate and Review,” and share a few sentences about what resonated with you. It does not need to be long or formal. Even a few sentences helps other readers discover the book.
EVENTS: I am surprised and delighted to be getting some invitations to share my poetry collection at events and groups centered on grief, loss, nature/prairie, or friendship. If you know of events or groups who might find this of interest, please let me know.
Heartbreak next to hope, a metaphor for our times. Well said Suzanna.
Thank you.
You brilliantly captured my thoughts and emotions surrounding the white bison calf...my wish was for the calf to grow into a constant reminder of hope