This is Levi the Leopard after his 'Magic Bubble Ride' aka: the washing machine. Having picked him up from the rubble of a newly bulldozed plot that was once 'Hobo Jungle' a homeless community in Portland, he was caked in mud, threadbare and falling apart. I thought often of who had left him behind and how that may have happened. I thought of who might be missing Levi and who Levi may be missing. Thus the beginnings of Levi the Leopard.
The story features Layla,a young girl who's family comes undone though the details are not provided. Family disruption and substances are hinted at. She is suddenly thrust into a shelter and seperated from Levi in the process. Later in the story you'll see Layla, who receives him on her seventh birthday, is wearing a hearing aid. My friends who are hearing impaired have let me see the vulnerability of their world and the isolation that sometimes results as they miss the clues so taken for granted by a hearing population. Levi himself loses an ear in the story because that's how I discovered him. One earred.
You'll see her and Levi leaving home with garbage bags, thrown in the back seat of a car we can assume hurriedly packed,. This emerges from stories of several Indigenous women who shared their experiences when they were taken from their homes by a child welfare system seperating them from their native community. Levi finds himself in a dumpster in the company of three other 'wounded' stuffed animals. They are all from the toy store he emerged from. The elephant, by the way, is modeled after a fabulous little stuffed animal I literally discovered in my car one day years ago. An anonymous gift. We nicknamed that elephant Noni. You'll see that the elephant loses his eyes but is the group storyteller, helping them all remember. His role is seer, though he has no eyes. He is finally paired at the end with a boy with impaired vision. The Dog is tattered yet jovial and helps lift everyones spirits with his song and is modeled after many friends from the street who despite their suffering make music and sing with light hearts. His legs and body are wounded and he is matched with a boy who also loves to sing and is sporting a broken arm and stitches on his forehead. The Bunny is aways trying to stuff the stuffing back into all of them. Attempting to sustain and nurture what is left of them. Her delicate ears and long arms are falling apart. She, at last, is paired with a double amputee; a spirited girl with a robotic hand, one leg, a crutch and a broad smile.
The woman who accompanies Layla is purposefully not named. She could be the mother, or a step mom, or a foster mom, or a sister or aunt or professional. Most importantly she supports Layla without getting in the way and bears witness to the delicate reunion and mission defined by Layla and Levi. There are those in my life who have shown me the power of a figure in their life though they are not necessarily 'mother'.
Also, my friends from the street in their vulnerability and their generosity have shown me that which transcends 'broken' and return loops back to whole. My deepest gratitude.
PS: The mice simply emerged in the tale telling.
Levi the Leopard and Layla had been through a lot. They had been lost. They had been found...
Levi the Leopard and Layla had been through a lot. They had been lost. They had been found. They were different as a result. They found out their love could be a sanctuary for one another and be the thing that could sustain them when all else seemed hopeless.
They found out that many others had been through a lot as well. There were scars and stitches that would always be there and there would always be some things missing. And that was ok. They found out more and more just what beauty there was in the things some say are broken. Over tea and bedtime stories they wondered 'What is the NEXT right thing ?'
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This is Levi the Leopard when I first met him 4 years ago at Hobo Jungle on West Commercial Street...
This is Levi the Leopard when I first met him 4 years ago at Hobo Jungle on West Commercial Street. A large 10 acre plot on the river was being developed. Prior to development it was a woodsy area that housed a homeless community. There were fire pits and sitting areas and mattresses and tents. Left behind were the remains to be seen. Old clothing. Shoes. Brassieres. Baby toys. Pots and pans. Then the area was clear cut and bulldozed. And filled. And one early winter day I found Levi in the rubble. Brought him home. Washed him in 'the magic bubble machine' a few times. He was torn and tattered and split and scarred. But he was a beauty. All I could imagine was the child I presumed who may have lost him and the community that they were separated from. But that's my story.....
Elephant, Rabbit, Dog and Levi were all reunited. Sure they were tattered and torn...
Elephant, Rabbit, Dog and Levi were all reunited.
Sure they were tattered and torn. Ripped and stitched together.
They ALL were. And not one amongst them was not broken in some way. But no one noticed. They sang. They told stories. They found great comfort together.And the next right thing always seemed to be a tea party.
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Levi and Layla needed to do the next right thing. So they did.
Levi and Layla needed to do the next right thing. So they did.
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And that’s how Elephant, Dog and Bunny got their own ride in The Magic Bubble Machine.
And that’s how Elephant, Dog and Bunny got their own ride in The Magic Bubble Machine. But Levi and Layla were not done yet.
Levi the Leopard #21/24
It wasn’t easy to go back to the dumpster. But Layla and Levi agreed...
It wasn’t easy to go back to the dumpster. But Layla and Levi agreed it was the right thing to do.
Elephant, Dog and Bunny were still there and ready to go home.
Levi the Leopard #20/24
After much rest they began their tea parties again. Levi and Layla shared the secrets...
After much rest they began their tea parties again. Levi and Layla shared the secrets of their separation. They shared what they had missed most. They shared their heartaches and their joys. They each shared that they knew what was important to them, so much more than before. And after many cups of tea and many cookies they realized they had something they needed to do.
Levi the Leopard #19/24
What Levi needed most was rest. Layla tucked him in. Every bit of him...
What Levi needed most was rest. Layla tucked him in. Every bit of him. Every ripped seam, bald patch, missing ear and broken nose. She knew he was so much more than all those bits. She sang the lullaby that helped her to sleep when she was missing him. And then he finally slept.
Levi the Leopard #18/24
After a hug that they never wanted to end, Levi was finally convinced it was truly his Layla...
After a hug that they never wanted to end, Levi was finally convinced it was truly his Layla. And they were truly headed home. First stop was a Magic Bubble Ride in the washing machine.
Levi the Leopard #17/24
That long winter finally turned to Spring. And that’s when Layla’s long search ended...
That long winter finally turned to Spring. And that’s when Layla’s long search ended and she finally found her Levi. He had lost an ear. And an eye. His nose was gone and only a few stitches remained of his mouth. Patches of his fur had worn off. He was threadbare and broken.
Levi could not have looked more beautiful to her.
Levi the Leopard #16/24
Well, it was a long, cold winter...
Well, it was a long, cold winter. Levi lost one of his eyes but with his other eye he could stare up at the winter sky and see the beautiful stars. Those twinkling stars kept him company most nights. Most days he thought of Layla and tea parties.
He wondered how she was. Where she was. And, would there ever be another tea party?
Levi the Leopard #15
Oh, how they practiced. But things didn't go as planned.
Oh, how they practiced. But things didn't go as planned.
Levi the Leopard #14
Levi the Leopard missed home. Actually all his friends in the dumpster missed home...
Levi the Leopard missed home. Actually all his friends in the dumpster missed home. Finding a way out seemed impossible.
They talked and they dreamed and then they had an idea.
Levi the Leopard #13
And then, even in the dark dumpster, Levi recognized them...
And then, even in the dark dumpster, Levi recognized them. All his buddies from the toy store shelf. All of them were torn and tattered. They were grimy and stained. And each of them had something to offer. Elephant, who lost his eyes, could still remember everything. So he told the stories that kept them all alive. Dog was the one singing and he helped keep their spirits up. Bunny was able to stuff stuffing back into all of them and did her best to tie on what was falling off.
They may have all been broken but all Levi could see was family.
Levi the Leopard #12
When Levi found himself at the bottom of the dumpster...
When Levi found himself at the bottom of the dumpster, the garbage bag he was in broke open. He was scared. It was so dark. There were strange sounds that frightened him. But there was something else. Something vaguely familiar. He tilted his one ear and strained to hear…someone singing. He saw bits of stuffing not unlike his own floating by….
Levi the Leopard #11
And that's how Levi found himself ... in a dumpster.
And that's how Levi found himself
...in a dumpster.
Levi the Leopard #10
Layla, Levi's best friend in the whole world, his whole world, was rushed into a room...
Layla, Levi's best friend in the whole world, his whole world, was rushed into a room. The door was shut and Levi was left behind.
Levi the Leopard #9
It was all happening so fast...
It was all happening so fast. So fast that when Levi’s ear ripped off getting out of the car there was no time to do anything about it. Layla was whisked away to something called a shelter.
Levi the Leopard #8
It got so loud that suddenly Layla was told to get in the car...
It got so loud that suddenly Layla was told to get in the car.
Now. Next to a couple of garbage bags filled with clothes. She held Levi tight. And just like that there would be no more tea parties. No more bedtime stories.
Levi the Leopard #7