Cape Buffalo Drawing in graphite, 2025 by Clara Jordan Welcome to The Wild Journey Home. Today I’m having a special conversation with my daughter, Clara Jordan, a sustainability scientist, poet, and artist. In this episode, we recount a tense, awe-filled encounter with a Cape buffalo herd in Kafue National Park, Zambia, using it to explore how Cape buffalo—often seen as dangerous and uncharismatic—mirror women’s experiences of being stereotyped, judged, and misunderstood while remaining fierce survivors with their own beauty. Clara reads our collaborative poem, “Claim Your Story,” which reframes scars, bracing, pain, and physical imperfections as living poetry and evidence of a life endured and fully lived. They discuss how the poem emerged from conversations about therapeutic yoga, women’s movement patterns, and the way stories are carried in the body. Claim Your Story by Clara Jordan & Nona Jordan In this society, we are taught to submit our bodies to the quiet torture Of unreachable expectations. Perfection and sameness, parallelism, and flawlessness. Darling, I know that it hurts, But amidst this heavy burden that we unknowingly cower beneath, I must share the message: In your pain, I see poetry. Beneath your braced and battle-worn exterior, I see the glorious marks of fights won, and fights lost. That raised scar is the braided fiber of a sailor’s rope That has weathered many storms, That tweak in your neck is evidence of a life lived Looking to the horizon, seeking a glimpse of the stars. Your shaky balance a humble testament to the cosmic rifts You have stumbled across. Each ache and twitch and scar carries verse and metaphor Of the story you have written all of your life. No woman can rightly say she is not a poet. Because darling, I see the story of your life written in the way you move. A memory of your past selves And their dreams, And accomplishments, And hard-won lessons. We tell our secrets in flesh and tissue, muscle and bone. Did you know you are the greatest collection of poetry ever written? Move through the Liminal with Intention If you're in a challenging transition as a creative, healing professional, or coach, and you want to walk into your new chapter with intention, I would love to walk with you. Find out more: https://www.nonajordan.com/work-with-me This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nonajordan.substack.com
