All Creatures Small

Visions, Dreams, and Space Invaders

The possum, adored in some parts of the world, is an invader, in mine. In the context of the rain forests of Aotearoa New Zealand, where birds once ruled and no predators reigned, the possum - an introduced species - is a cruel invader. 

Yet the possum is my familiar. I know precisely 'when' the spirit of a possum planted itself firmly on my shoulders, i…