Lenape

Lightning,
And then a loud roar...
A lions mouth 
Of thunder 
Pushed
The men
Adorned in breechcloud and 
Necklaces of shells 
Straight down the river
As the murky water 
Of the Delaware 
Rippled in the downpour 
Yet they kept going,
Gathering thoughts of triumph
Of the next camp 
Ruled 
By a natural law 
And an ancient faith 
Of living close to the soil
As the canoes 
Made of chestnut 
Held sturdy as steel 
And after the rain 
A low hum of mosquitoes 
Broke the silence 
Of hot august air,
Yet the Lenape 
Glanced softly 
At a new shore 
Knowing that 
The great sorrow of moving 
Only stretched their hearts wider 
Into a vibrant cascade of deeper roots.
Copyright © | Year Posted 2021

Poem

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