An Indian Trance

Spherical drums caressed by skins of buffalo Stretched to their limits large on hollowed wood Beat out with thunder, the heartbeat of the Earth Define the universe, the breath of God's creation Strong men whisper while horses bow their heads Winds take them away on freshly fallen snow Peyote hallucinations die with Indian nations Whittled down to nothing in the cold Red Feather in his soft moccasins steps lightly Dances the ancestral dance of sadness to the sand Costumed and covered in plumage colored bright Women and children cry out their song In a trance about the glowing embers fired Days gone, lives lost, on prairie and desert lands Eagles climb high before they reach the heavens Away from the red man, they fly off to find God Before the weather worsens A chant continues in the dark For braves who lost their lives Former warriors pray for warmth A bottle of whiskey and remorse An arrow pierces every heart