The Tall Black Woman and The Hawk
A folk story about love for all ages
Rachel Alexander O’Neill
Once upon a time
there was a tall black woman
who walked in the woods
every day.
One day as she walked along the
path she found a hawk lying on the
side of the road
As she reached down he tried to fly
away because he was scared and he
wasn’t used to talking to people, but
she gently coaxed him toward her.
The Tall Black Woman held him and
talked to him and gave him herbal
medicine for his wounds.
Before long he began to fly again but
he would always fly very close to The
Tall Black Woman.
They enjoyed being together and
soon The Hawk began to fly closer
and closer. One day he landed on the
woman’s shoulder.
Often as she began her
walks she would look
and The Hawk would
join her on the path.
Some days she would go out for her
walks and if he wasn’t there, she
would call to him and he would join
her.
Other days if she didn’t come out he
would peck on her window and call to
her and she would join him.
They were soon inseparable.
Some people thought it was strange
to that The Tall Black Woman and
The Hawk were such good friends.
Some people thought it was beautiful.
They didn’t care.
The Hawk taught The Tall Woman to
see the world through his sharp eyes.
He taught her about the earth and the
trees. He taught her about the wind.
She taught him to trust. She taught
him to let go and sing!
Seasons came and went.
One day The Woman came out to
walk and The Hawk did not join her.
She watched him as he sat on a low
branch watching the other birds fly.
The other birds called out to The
Hawk but The Woman told them to go
away.
The Woman and The Hawk continued
down the path together.
Let go!
One day a wise bird told The Woman
that she must let The Hawk go. He
said The Hawk needed to be with
other birds. He needed to find his
mate. He needed babies.
The Tall Black Woman did not want to
listen.
She loved their walks and she loved
The Hawk.
She told The Wise Bird to leave them
alone.
Get Lost! Please!
The Hawk needed to soar high above
the earth like he was made to do.
The Woman loved The Hawk and she
wanted him to be happy but she was
afraid that if she let him go she would
never see him again.
But, what The Wise Bird had said
stayed in The Woman’s heart and she
knew that it was truth speaking.
She thought about the truth even
though she didn’t want to.
hmmmm
…
One day The Hawk came to the
window and pecked. This day the
woman did not open the door.
The Hawk was mad and circled low in
front of her house. The Hawk pecked
again and again.
The Woman was inside and she
heard The Hawk pecking and she was
sad, but she did not open the door to
join The Hawk. Finally, The Hawk
flew to a low branch of a nearby tree
and waited but The Woman did not
come out.
This happened for several days
until The Woman could no longer
stand it.
She came out of the house and
looked for The Hawk but he was not
in the branch.
She called to the Hawk but he did not
answer. She cried out to him that she
had changed her mind. She wanted
to go for a walk with The Hawk.
The Hawk flew high above her and
would not listen.
The louder The Woman called, the
higher The Hawk would fly.
Her screams got louder and more
insistent and The Hawk stayed farther
and farther away.
The Woman finally gave up and sat
down and cried.
She cried and cried. After some time
her cries got softer. As the tears
slowly fell down her face she realized
that she hadn’t walked down the path
in weeks.
She stood up.
The ground was still solid. The
Woman looked around and found that
the trees were still green and lush.
She saw the dense forest through the
eyes that The Hawk had taught her to
see with and realized that it was still
beautiful.
She began to walk down the path. At
first her steps were slow and unsure
but as she began to walk she
remembered and it was good.
She thought of all she had learned on
the path.
As she remembered she began to
walk with more confidence taking in
the clean air and the joy that the path
once held for her.
She looked up and saw The Hawk
soaring high above her with his broad
wings. She was proud of his beautiful
flight. She was proud of his grace.
As she walked she realized that her
tears were gone…
…and she sat gently on the edge of a
fallen tree.
She closed her eyes and felt the
breeze on her face.
Suddenly, she heard the soft cooing
of The Hawk and he gently came to
rest on her shoulder.
She stood up and began to walk.
And even now, years later, as The
Tall Black Woman walks down the
now familiar path, she thinks of The
Hawk. Some days as she walks The
Hawk gently lights on her shoulder
and keeps her company on the path.
Other days she looks up from her
walk and sees him soaring high above
her.
And sometimes, if she listens
closely…
…she can hear him sing.
The End