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Navajo 2

it is not our place to count the tick of seconds

but to let time measure for us

yellow days and deep-blue nights

 

thus

we looked up to the Mother Of The Home

but she would not gaze our way

and we were footsore

 

then

by the bitter river the First Slender One marched

and brought the Planters to dance

at the edge of the sky

but our fine corn

handsome and catching sunbeams

rotted from the inside

 

so

when the stars had wheeled once more

round the Northern Fire

our corn arrowed sunwards again

and died as quickly as it lived

our prayers to Changing Woman were bitter

bad smoke or dirt on the wind

 

and

we let our ploughs rust

dropped our hoes

we spat at the Jicarillas and they at us

all we had left was spit

 

but

in a great circle we danced round a coyote

and its panic was a bolt of lightning

towards the sunset horizon

we begged to follow it

 

now

again we see the mountains of home

and we sing

     beauty before us

     beauty behind us

     beauty around us

     in beauty we walk

     it is finished in beauty

 

 

Author notes

The chronology of the forced migration of the Navajo people to Bosque Redondo, and their eventual return to their home; using elements of Navajo cosmology. The closing words are the actual chant they sang when they saw Mt Taylor.

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Comments

1 - 22 of 22

  • sticksnstones
    September 5

    Edit | Reply
    the imagery in this piece suggests a vivid dream. I loved it all through. i'm adding you to my favorites to


    • Mairi bheag gold member
      September 5
      Edit | Reply
      I am flattered. The events in the poem actually happened. Thanks for visiting and commenting.

  • penman gold member
    September 3

    Edit | Reply

    Excellent

    Such a creative and well expressed entry for the contest. Congrats on the gold. it was well deserved.


  • deercatcher
    August 30

    Edit | Reply
    One of the obstacles the indigeneous people of America was tribalism. Even now, the tribes have quite a bit of tension between them.

    • Mairi bheag gold member
      August 31
      Edit | Reply
      On the other hand, the native peoples are greatly diverse, and deserve to be thought of as nationalities as much as tribes. Just as a dialect can be controversially defined as "a language without an army", a tribe can be described as a nation no one has bothered to draw a border around. It would be just as true to cite the tensions between border-defined countries; enmities, ancient and modern, persist, whether we define them as tribal or not.

      Thank you for your visit and your comment.

  • Amera gold member
    August 30

    Edit | Reply
    This is really beautiful and filled with Native American intonation. It flows smooth a silk, tells a story and shows incite and thought. I love this:
    “beauty before us
    beauty behind us
    beauty around us
    in beauty we walk
    it is finished in beauty”

    Bravo! Bravo!

    Love,
    Amera♥


    • Mairi bheag gold member
      August 30
      Edit | Reply
      Thank you, Sis.

      One has to be careful with assuming a Native American "voice", not to sound too portentious and pretentious. A lot of the rhetoric and poetry of that particular era has come down to us from accounts given by the American military; but also the era saw the rise of the popular novel, based on the true exploits of the likes of Kit Carson, and in such things one could not escape the onset of the racial stereotyping of the varied indigenous peoples of North America.

      I have tried to develop a poetic "feel" for this "voice" rather than tried to imitate it. The descendants of the people whom I am presenting in poetry such as this deserve respect, and deserve that I should be true in spirit to their culture, not that I should hi-jack it.

  • Shadow Lynx gold member
    August 30
    Edit | Reply
    A thoroughly enjoyable read , thank you for sharing


  • Gods Lil Warrior
    August 29
    Edit | Reply
    This is a great poem.
    What was your inspiration for writing this poem??


    • Mairi bheag gold member
      August 29
      Edit | Reply
      Difficult to say. The contest called for a chronology, and my mind went to the salient events of the four or five years of the Bosque Redondo experiment. I am glad you enjoyed this.

  • Katie Lazette
    August 29

    Edit | Reply
    well Mairi you sure fooled me. I thought you were writing from personal history. Family history. It still is a beautiful poem. I have a little Indian blood in me, but I don't know what Indian tribe. My Dad's ancestors migrated from Canada to Michigan. Somewhere in the past I had a Grandmother who was Indian.

  • Katie Lazette
    August 29
    Edit | Reply
    Beautiful words from the heart. thank you for giving us the actual chant repeated by your people. Good luck to you in the contest...Katie


  • Dark Otter gold member
    August 29

    Edit | Reply

    In my limited comprehension

    I will express my opinion. Its way better than 'not half bad'. I'll give it two not half bads, which equals a pretty good from cricketjeff. In my rating system, I just call it sheer poetry. How can you have such vision of so many places and so many cultures? You haven't been gazing into that crystal ball again, have you? Effective use of language (cultural idioms) to once again paint a very 'thematic' picture. What's it gonna take to get you published on a scale that gives you the audience you deserve?


  • malmadre gold member
    August 29

    Edit | Reply
    I am always amused by Cricketjeff's "not bad" when in fact he means "smashing" You have channeled those souls and they have guided your pen to create the words in their own way. It comes through you!


  • cricketjeff gold member
    August 29

    Edit | Reply
    Superbly done, works on all the wanted levels, you really are rather good at this you know, well past not half bad.


  • balenciaga
    August 29

    Edit | Reply
    Oh my god. This is the best history lesson ever !

    I mean... it's just beautiful Mairi,.... I don't know what else to say .

    Meg

    `


    • Mairi bheag gold member
      August 29
      Edit | Reply
      Thank you, Meg. I had such doubts about this poem - it wouldn't come out the way I wanted it - so I am glad you have restored my faith.
1 - 22 of 22