9/5/2008 9:15:56 PM
A HINT OF THEN AND NOW [1]
I walked the paths
Of my fathers
But my ears
Were pierced
By the wails
And screams
Of those who passed
This way
My heart seethed
In anger
At the lack of thought
For the children
Of our children
A butchered land
Sacrificed wildlife
Poisoned water
And for what
A mere dollar bill
As though that were
What life is about
A twinge in my heart
For where is thought
For the mother
Of all life
When will we consider
The balance
In all that she is
Do we not see
At all
That to destroy nature
Murder our mother
Is suicide
And So
The ghosts scream
In the night
But no one will hear
Until we at last see
Perhaps too late
The truth.
…………………………………………………………….
2
The elders said it was time
And so I sit
Lost in the running water
That seems to speak to me
In a sweet voice
That has been lost to man
The smells of nature
And all it entails
Bathes me in its perfumes
As I wait for my guides
Spirits, the elders say
That will guide me
Through my life
Keep me in health
Guide me through
All that my life may hold
This is foolish, I think
But it is the old way
And I wish to honor
My elders and their paths
Though schools and churches
Teach us all
That all we know
Is superstition
So did I say
To our medicine man
Who smiled at me
Saying in hushed tones
Emphasizing each word
That no man while he walked
The earth
Would ever have all
The knowledge
Those thinking that they have
All of the answers
Were still babes
In the spiritual sense
With eyes still closed
From the birthing process
Then he said
Forget it all
To go out and sit
Meditate
Communicate
With the trees and flowers
The insects and animals
And he said
Listen to the bubbling brook
Seek inward
Find the truth
That is meant for me
So Lost in all of it, I sat
Until I realized that the insects
Were no longer bothering me
I saw a wolf nosing its way
From a nearby bush
Not disturbing
Leaf or blade of grass
He looked at me and said
“It is your time.”
…………………………………………………………….
3
I searched for sign
That animals had been near
But found nothing
Again I sat, confused
When the wolf came again
This time in a full run
Straight at me he came
Gone, right through me
As if I were not even there
I turned in time
To see him disappear
In a small hole
That was surely too small
To accommodate
Such a large animal
So I made to move
Finding that I was floating
Above the ground
Drawn to that same hole
Slipping inside
I was right
It went nowhere
And yet
I felt that I might still
Keep on going
So I did
Into a cave
Coming at last
To the cave entrance
Seeing a strange new earth
The wolf came to the edge
He said “welcome
To the underworld
Of your people
Your guides now know
That you have arrived
They hurry to meet
And join with you
I will be the first
Saying so he leaped at me
Again
I looked but he was not there
He was inside of me
“Awkkk” cried an eagle
Swooping down to the ledge
Before me
A sudden roar silenced us all
As a giant prehistoric bear
Rushed into view
Rambling up and onto
The ledge before me
Saying “I am third
The first and last”
So saying
He rose up on hind legs
Towering above all
As he began to lower himself
The eagle flew into, blending
With and into the bears mid-section
I felt nothing
My eyes cleared
I began to hear again
The clear tones of the rushing water
Blending into ‘itself’
The clear sound was amazing.
…………………………………………………………………..
A HINT OF THEN AND NOW [1]
I walked the paths
Of my fathers
But my ears
Were pierced
By the wails
And screams
Of those who passed
This way
My heart seethed
In anger
At the lack of thought
For the children
Of our children
A butchered land
Sacrificed wildlife
Poisoned water
And for what
A mere dollar bill
As though that were
What life is about
A twinge in my heart
For where is thought
For the mother
Of all life
When will we consider
The balance
In all that she is
Do we not see
At all
That to destroy nature
Murder our mother
Is suicide
And So
The ghosts scream
In the night
But no one will hear
Until we at last see
Perhaps too late
The truth.
…………………………………………………………….
2
The elders said it was time
And so I sit
Lost in the running water
That seems to speak to me
In a sweet voice
That has been lost to man
The smells of nature
And all it entails
Bathes me in its perfumes
As I wait for my guides
Spirits, the elders say
That will guide me
Through my life
Keep me in health
Guide me through
All that my life may hold
This is foolish, I think
But it is the old way
And I wish to honor
My elders and their paths
Though schools and churches
Teach us all
That all we know
Is superstition
So did I say
To our medicine man
Who smiled at me
Saying in hushed tones
Emphasizing each word
That no man while he walked
The earth
Would ever have all
The knowledge
Those thinking that they have
All of the answers
Were still babes
In the spiritual sense
With eyes still closed
From the birthing process
Then he said
Forget it all
To go out and sit
Meditate
Communicate
With the trees and flowers
The insects and animals
And he said
Listen to the bubbling brook
Seek inward
Find the truth
That is meant for me
So Lost in all of it, I sat
Until I realized that the insects
Were no longer bothering me
I saw a wolf nosing its way
From a nearby bush
Not disturbing
Leaf or blade of grass
He looked at me and said
“It is your time.”
…………………………………………………………….
3
I searched for sign
That animals had been near
But found nothing
Again I sat, confused
When the wolf came again
This time in a full run
Straight at me he came
Gone, right through me
As if I were not even there
I turned in time
To see him disappear
In a small hole
That was surely too small
To accommodate
Such a large animal
So I made to move
Finding that I was floating
Above the ground
Drawn to that same hole
Slipping inside
I was right
It went nowhere
And yet
I felt that I might still
Keep on going
So I did
Into a cave
Coming at last
To the cave entrance
Seeing a strange new earth
The wolf came to the edge
He said “welcome
To the underworld
Of your people
Your guides now know
That you have arrived
They hurry to meet
And join with you
I will be the first
Saying so he leaped at me
Again
I looked but he was not there
He was inside of me
“Awkkk” cried an eagle
Swooping down to the ledge
Before me
A sudden roar silenced us all
As a giant prehistoric bear
Rushed into view
Rambling up and onto
The ledge before me
Saying “I am third
The first and last”
So saying
He rose up on hind legs
Towering above all
As he began to lower himself
The eagle flew into, blending
With and into the bears mid-section
I felt nothing
My eyes cleared
I began to hear again
The clear tones of the rushing water
Blending into ‘itself’
The clear sound was amazing.
…………………………………………………………………..
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