Ghosts of the Sun Dance-Part 2

8. Transformation Yielding to those who have mastered the art Of grasping one's place in existence's grand scheme Life’s constant challenges never depart But humble diligence will grow the dream In passing from childhood to adulthood Innocence to responsibility Firm new role can be grasped and understood In life, pain’s inevitability A mother birthing new life through the pain Dad slowly works his fingers to the bone Soldiers trudging all night though frigid rain Bearing remarkable burdens alone Accomplishing in life what must be done In this day’s heat or ere the morning run 9. Volta: Race Day In the day’s heat or ere the morning run Resolve has hardened in preparation For this sacred journey under the sun Through the land of the Navajo nation Race morning is upon us, we prepare Patient dawn waits below sharp horizon Last meals and supplies, shoes and garb we wear Gather together, our spirits rising A convocation and tribal blessing In the solemn shadows of the mesas Final rituals, tying and dressing Spirit warriors in garb of racers The starter’s gun sends our bodies lurching Footfalls queuing the inward eye’s searching 10. Inward Journey Begins Footfalls queuing the inward eye’s searching A harmonious quest will not fail Meeting the spirit hawk inside perching Melding feet to the undulating trail Smooth hand circles driving arms swinging free, Shoulders relaxed, rotate forward and back, Trace three-dimensional infinity. Every sinew not involved, loose and slack. Countertwist rotation, thrust straight behind Muscle springs compress, explode, power grows Whipcrack diamondback wriggles down my spine Through my circling legs, last snap through the toes. With focus on moment in longest run Our life’s greatest challenges can be won 11. Meditation Our life’s greatest challenges will be won With the spirit and not by the sinews At times next to you the Dance’s ghosts run Other times they can be found within you Smooth, rolling strides become my rhythm and rhymes Subtly pick open my heart and mind’s locks At peace, I'm inured to passage of time A slack-jawed Buddha floats between the rocks Sun-baked vermillion cliff, eternity Spirit of the wild, you are the portal Stretching out to you, encompassing me Melt, intertwine, these moments immortal Fallen angels, my soul is expurging When the body, mind, and soul are merging 12. Crucible When the body, mind, and soul are merging Million drops of agony are the test Pail overflows, vitality purging Time spans both horizons, forgotten rest Flesh hooks of my own Sun Dance dig deeper Through muscle and bone, draining resistance Standing face to face with soul’s gatekeeper Grasping the barest threads of existence Inside, my withering heart starts to burn Black crucible over the white-hot flame Ethereal hands grant me their return By my side, shadows dance, whisper my name Body aflame, yet not longer burning Through sacred quests, our spirits returning 13. Resolution Through sacred quests, our spirits returning Wan smile as I reach the final milestone The line is crossed, strangely without yearning From the summit, we always return home The Spirits have won, silently rejoice Spasming leg muscles announce their first clue Weary soul may have found its deepest voice But penitent’s flesh will yet have its due Dusty column of exhausted racers Shuffling past hallowed final marker Sun Dancers’ ghosts fade into the mesas To echoed drumbeats our spirits harken Our guides to the Spirit World returning This modern Sun Dance, an ancient yearning 14. Aftermath This modern Sun Dance, an ancient yearning With Spirits’ help, my soul has passed this test Feet caressed the trail while muscles burning My abiding need, this challenging quest This long day ends without ceremony Racers festooned in laurels internal The trail run’s own spirituality Modern Sun Dancers’ reward eternal While the roads to the summit are many One means up the mountain for those who seek Life’s spiritual rigors aplenty A runner’s path may also find the peak Deep within us, we need this victory A quest dating back through our history 15. Ghosts of the Sun Dance A quest dating back through our history Transcendence, to shed our skin and transform Beyond mundane, to sacred mystery Through painful trials, seeker’s soul is reborn Our modern world lacks initiations With substance to satisfy questing hearts Life’s road of genuine tribulations Yielding to those who have mastered the art In this day’s heat or ere the morning run Footfalls queuing the inward eye’s searching Our life’s greatest challenges can be won When the body, mind, and soul are merging Through sacred quests, our spirits returning This modern Sun Dance, an ancient yearning 5/19/16 Copyright by Author For contest: Heroic Crown of Sonnets Sponsor: Craig Cornish Syllables confirmed by howmanysyllables.com