The Navahos referred to her as Wise Mother
She was as close to a goddess as they had
She could turn the tides with a wink at the moon
They revered and feared her
The warriors asked for her guidance before a battle
Their women would not begin beadwork without her blessing
She was the quintessential Wise Woman, filled with wisdom
Her kindnesses and favors were legend.
If I could shapeshift…..
On Monday I would be a horned owl
Eating road kill, tasty and foul.
On Tuesday I would be an intelligent pig
Dressed in a pink rhinestone tiara and wig.
On Wednesday I would be a giant catfish in muds.
Watching cartoons in a large claw foot bathtub with suds.
On Thursday I would be a cardinal, fine and red.
Fat and sassy, full of worms, quite easily fed.
On Friday I would be a moon-howling timber wolf.
Who can disappear with a snap in a lavender poof.
On Saturday I would be a svelte Indian maid
Whose gorgeous vibrant beadwork never will fade.
On Sunday I would be a clone of my identical twin.
Until Monday when I would start shapeshifting all over again.
From
lake’s front
cliff stands proud
harshly sculpted---
rough
Till
fine grains
tumble down
like pearled beadwork--
smooth
3/04/2019
Joseph May's Light Up The Page
A porcupine, when threatened, will
Let loose upon his foe a quill
Or actually, I have a hunch
That he’d release a giant bunch.
I always knew about that use
But never knew that a papoose
Could find what every baby needs
Where quills are used instead of beads.
Yes, cradleboards and moccasins
And shirts or cloaks made out of skins
Were gussied up with filed-down quills
By Indians with awesome skills.
A new exhibit at the Met*
Has beadwork that I won’t forget
By Natives living on the Plains
Where porcupines shared their domains.
Or that is what I must assume
For every ornament and plume
They used to sew with (all by hand)
Was found nearby on native land.
That’s how it was in times gone by;
The local life could satisfy.
Those Indians, now mostly gone,
Today’d rely on Amazon!
*Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC
Looking for the formal definition, structure, and history of this poetry form? Visit the Poetry Dictionary entry below. Then return to explore how PoetrySoup members bring the form to life through their own poems.