Gift at Nokomis
Today I walked into the Indian center
The snow fell
And crushed like velvet under my boots
I listened to the music of the pipe
Playing out the melody of solitude
A man bent over - beak nose
His arms colored like the songs of his nations
He offered me stories as he beaded
While the beat of the drum ran through
The songs of nations rang through me
My spirit flooded with a sense of meaning
And for a moment
I lost myself in the yells and cries
Of empty parking lots
Shuttered buildings
And clouded rivers
"I reached into the river and pulled out this rock,"
he said.
"This rock was from the place of my birth," my mother said.
"Please wear this and think of me."
I took the leather string and placed it around my head
the rock of the river close to my heart.
"This is the place of my birth, too," I said
And looking at the snow fall
I knew, too
This was where I belonged.
The snow fell
And crushed like velvet under my boots
I listened to the music of the pipe
Playing out the melody of solitude
A man bent over - beak nose
His arms colored like the songs of his nations
He offered me stories as he beaded
While the beat of the drum ran through
The songs of nations rang through me
My spirit flooded with a sense of meaning
And for a moment
I lost myself in the yells and cries
Of empty parking lots
Shuttered buildings
And clouded rivers
"I reached into the river and pulled out this rock,"
he said.
"This rock was from the place of my birth," my mother said.
"Please wear this and think of me."
I took the leather string and placed it around my head
the rock of the river close to my heart.
"This is the place of my birth, too," I said
And looking at the snow fall
I knew, too
This was where I belonged.