Long Elk Poems

Native American Translations

Cherokee Travelers' Blessing I
loose translation by Michael R. Burch

I will extract the thorns from your feet.
For yet a little while, we will walk life's sunlit paths together.
I will love you like my own...

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The greatest performance of my life.  
Howard’s proud piece de resistance award  on Poetry Nook for my magnum opus “Rush Amid The Rapids” in their daily member section.
After endless hours of toil, tribulation,...

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Night one on the new river, the campfire is spirited
and the future appears hospitable,
everyone has their rations, everybody is resting their pride
for on an expedition epic to each man and for a republic as well
souls...

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It was a freezing night in Alaska, the temperature had 
dropped to well below zero, fifteen below with a driving 
wind that shrieked and laughed as it sped viciously past
causing lashing snow flakes to fall...

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Fielding Culver stepped off the west-bound train,
and gazed up on the towering Front Range,
it was a cool morn, eighteen sixty-nine,
he’d been sent out west, his brother to find.

He set up in a hotel in Green...

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Later Ethan roasted a great haunch,
enough for their breakfast, dinner, and lunch.
They sat outside by the great fire’s glow,
while a red sunset over sharp peaks roamed.

Ethan watched his brother gaze to the ridge,
said,”You know, there’s...

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V.
She knew he was right, and had little choice,
winter had set in, travel was hard,
but Reid had killed elk, frozen meat to spare,
the ponds he worked were never that far.

Mink kept her guard up when...

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(Historical train-ride on the first Transcontinental Railroad in 1870 from Omaha to Ogden aboard the Union Pacific Railroad)     © 2009 (Jim Sularz)

Wyoming winds blow like a hurricane,
the flimsy bridge sways to...

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On dreamy beautiful lake there is a swan
The sun just came up and it is now dawn
Young elk and his mate are raising a fawn
On the meadow next to the lake narcissi, iris, orange tiger...

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If we start we may not end
but, here it goes for a special friend.
In no particular order or rank,
too many people to mention and thank.

So lets move on to other things,
like a package waiting when...

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ON DAY 1 of Noel my sweetie gave to me a Bluejay in a Fir Tree!
          ON DAY 2 of Noel my sweetie gave to me...

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These are the times
I sit and ponder at the beauty of it all,
amazed at the bounty of my blessings
Overburdened with foolish reminiscing
For the time has come for the present...

...life's never ending event

I admire the lovely...

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We are hours into the mountain riverway, the current unfriendly to us
paddling earlier had simply strained the men to burning exhaustion, 
those who have the shoulder strength are paddling the two larger canoes
while the other...

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Was just another BAU day 
at Duesseldorf Uni
Lads in the IT room 
playing minesweeper and internet spades

A few emails here and there
RE: IT Support Needed
I can't access my files
Something's wrong with Citrix

George stroke his beard
Screw...

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All we eat is elk meat, boiled elk, roasted elk, elk jerky
sometimes fried elk if we get bear or whale oil,
oh, and sometimes elk soup,
for four months we've subsisted exclusively on elk
except for occassional dog...

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As I drive by the end of days I see a pumpkin and a happy witch on the doorstep of my joy,
As I pass by my four year old’s awe toward friendly ghosts down the...

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On the Sixth Day

On the sixth day God created the animals
Oh what fun creating the animals;
Rolled up each sleeve to create all the animals
On the sixth day.

God made cats and dogs and hogs and frogs
Elk...

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During the Civil War, money came late,
Indians starved, left to their fate.
Two braves came across a white farmer's food.
They were hungry and stressed and in a bad mood.

Little Bear picked up an egg, Grey Elk...

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I love to sit and watch the Roosevelt Elk for hours.  The Roosevelt Elk named for Theodore Roosevelt, it's my favorite animal in the wild.  They are the largest of the four remaining...

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A_Abalone by the sea floats to shore then adored
B_Bonnets of the world make my heart unfurl surely not bored

C_Conch alive how their song can jive
D_Dove Shell rings my bell not like bee hive

E_Egg Shell poached...

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Yellowstone in winter. Canyon Falls, Rutherford Park, Old Faithful. Of all the places we had ever visited, this was his favorite. Josh even named one of the elk after his mother. It was while enroute...

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_____________________________________
 
The black mesa yield 
of goodness, peacefulness
and gifts of knowledge abound

With a building rhythm  upon stretched elk hide
the ominous drum beat plays loud
a ceremony has begun 
as the sun set calm Westward

Incessant whispers...

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I was driving outside of the Black Hills
and came upon a wildlife park there,
claiming it had all sorts of animals,
the park mascot was a mighty black bear.

It was one of those drive-through attractions,
I’d heard of...

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The towering pine were poised
at the edge of the forest, standing
in all their majesty,
arms locked, heads touching,
speaking in whispers.
They exchanged secrets the wind
stole and scattered.

So began the saga of the woodlands and
man's intrusion with ax...

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Slim was an old Texas cowboy
had traveled cross this country some
Said he roamed the range all his life
and to 'Montana he had come

Cause down south it's hard to figure
what caused so much stink and shoutin’
Wanted...

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