Autumn Native American Poems

battle between bucks
	deadly duel-decided ~
		scavengers spectate

(November Full Moon – Dakota and Lakota)...

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EPIGRAMS IV

Improve yourself by others' writings, attaining freely what they purchased at the expense of experience.
—Socrates, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

I didn’t mean to...

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mustard spreads its warmth
	stone ground with bits of bold brown ~
		leaves valiant passing

(September Full Moon – Lakota)...

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Naked Trees
Fall becomes Winter
Naked Trees fill the yard with decaying brown leaves
Hanging on to a few who refuse to leave the safety of their branches
Leaves...

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as fires dance ablaze
elders chant a song of the Souix 
lifting their spirit song beyond
the yellow moon
as thunderous drums beat in unison

o' spirit of love...

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trees tessellated
	prismatic presentation  ~
		wizened eyes widen

(September Full Moon – Anishinaabe)...

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Looking back, one thing comes clean-glass clear
you were always there for me subduing every fear.

I tried to do my duty, be a husband strong and...

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the number falling before three and preceding five
sacred in my culture to ground us to the nature of all things
the time of life when 'being'...

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In
a
dream
all
i
see
barely
audible
stealth   
are
my
moccasins
running
through
the
autumn
woods                



AP:  Honorable Mention 2020

Posted on...

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I wonder if THC
and our Holy Cooperative Spirit
could be cousins
like Grandmother Moon
and Grandmother Tree.

Why do you want to wonder 
about something as curious as that,
dear?

Oh,...

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spiritual
twilight
peace

united
native
flow

casual
drumming
dance

bonfire
friendly
now



3-2-1 Haiku Contest 
Sponsor: Charles Messina
Written 9-14-2018...

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Watching the shadow's dance
Upon the elder's fiery glow 
I begin the long and steady drumbeat
As curling tendrils of smoke begin to flow
As songs of the...

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Long before the white man came 
to the Black Hills of South Dokota,
in a teepee made of buffalo skin
lived a young Sioux warrior called Akecheta;
he...

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Bear and the Birds

Vernal equinox comes shining.
Hungry wolves in forest whining.
Mighty bear awakens growling,
time to go on sky’s great prowling.

Chickadee feels night-time falling,
“feed me food”...

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I asked about the Chimariko tribe
 When spring was in full bloom
  I got the answer in the wind
 And all I felt was...

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