Moses Meriweather
From behind the curtain, Moses gazed at the seated spectators who had come to hear his story. As the room filled and the buzz buzzed, he thought about all that had happened to get him to this place. “Please be seated,” the emcee beckoned to the crowd. “Mr. Meriweather will be speaking in a few moments.” When he got the signal, Moses walked to the armchair and sat down. He felt beads of sweat on his bald head and wished that he had dressed differently. After unbuttoning his wool jacket and adjusting the microphone, he cleared his throat and began. “Good evening, everyone. Thank you for coming here tonight. I hope that what I’m about to tell you won’t shock you too much.” Murmurs filled the room. As he waited for silence, Moses stroked his long, gray beard and took a few deep breaths to calm himself down. “My name is Moses Meriweather,” he continued. “I was raised by a tribe in Pawnee, Oklahoma, where I lived a peaceful life with many different types of people. Our days were slow, deliberate, and conscious. We valued the natural world and treated it with respect. We valued each other. We listened to each other. We treasured each other.” Moses was sure that the audience was wondering what piece of information was going to shock them. |
“Growing up in Pawnee shaped my life, my thoughts, my morals, my filter, my expectations, my language, my energy, and my gratitude about being alive.” He reached for the glass of water on the table and took a sip. The audience waited. “So, what is the shocking thing that I promised to tell you?” He looked around the room and smiled. The audience began to smile too, but they were visibly confused. “Here it is,” he announced. “Here’s the shocking thing: People CAN live in harmony. In Pawnee, we were not perfect, and we didn’t always agree, but we tried to accept each other the way we were. “Our goal was to get along. Our goal was to allow different points of view. Our goal was to spread love and kindness. Our goal was to be happy. “That’s the thing that truly shocks people. They just don’t believe that their lives and the world can be this way. My message is that it CAN.” Moses scanned the room and watched the spectators absorb his message. “Thank you for coming, and good night.” After a smattering of applause, the audience slowly and silently walked out. Their faces displayed a mixture of thoughtfulness and skepticism. Moses remained in the armchair and stroked his long, gray beard. “Well, it’s a start,” he whispered. From Carpet Creatures: Tales from the Deep Pile To join the Carpet Creatures project, please visit our TAE Gallery website. |
