ANOTHER WORLD

I think my Grandpa died early this morning

I can't find him anywhere.

He not in any of the usual places.

down by the creek,talking with the rocks,out in

the barn smoking his corn cob pipe,or under the old

oak tree taking a nap.I've been looking for him all

morning and I think he must have died cause I cant

find anywhere and my Mama wont let go to his room

My Mama is acting kinda funny.She won't answer me

when I ask her where he is.

She just keeps crying and mumbling something about

she wished she paid closer attention.I don't know

exactly what she is talking about but I suspect it

it has something to do with Grandpa.

Finally just when I think I cant stand not knowing

any longer,one of the neighbors from down the road

comes with his team of horses pulling a old wagon

and stop in front of your house.I realize it true

my Grandpa has died as I watch the neighbor man

man take a rolled up quilt stuffed full of my

Grandpa's body and place it on the wagon

Where are you taking him? I ask.

Down to the funeral parlor in Murphy,son

Now you be a good boy and go tend to your Mama

She hurting something fierce.

But I was surpised at all the tears my Mama was

letting fall.

She and Grandpa had been at odds for as long as I

could remember.

Ever since he had wanted to start teaching me all

about my Indian backgroud

It wont do nothing but hurt him,Papa He wont need

none of the nonsences in order to get along in this

modern world.

Nonsense? Why a soul's got a right to know where

he come from and about His people.

Just cause he's half white dont mean that he all white!

He's got Cherokee blood in him same as you and me

and you know Daughter!Are telling you are ashamed of it?

But my Mama wouldn't answer him on this point.

She just turn and walk away like she always did

when there was something she knew she couldn't win

out on with Grandpa

He was stubborn and she knew it .I liked that in him

I was was really little I guess when he began to tell me stories.

Like the about how the Cherokee believes the world

was this great island in the middle of a huge body

of water,hanging form the sky vault on four gaint

cords one from the East,West,North and South

And about how at the end of time these cords would

break and the world would sink underwater.I liked to

lay on my back and look uo at the blue skies

whenever Grandpa would tell this story amd image those four gaint cords

Then when I got a little older,he taught me how to

hunt how to try the weakest as they more than

likely die anyway.

And to always ask the spirit of the game for permission before killing it

All this made perfect sense to me.

And sometime he tell about his Mama Her name was

Totsu'hwa which means Redbird in Cherokee

I wish I could known her but she went back to

spirit a long time before I was born. He said she

was a handsome woman with dark eyes and braids

And he said her Mama who was his Grandmama was quite

respected back in the old days when Cherokee lived on their homeland.

His Grandmama knew more about herbs,trees and plants

than anyone,and people were always asking her to help cure them of things

She knew all the ceremoines for gathering plants

and making medicine and pratices them daily

I forgot what her name was but I'm sure it something pretty

He said he would see both them again someday in another world

and that I wasn't to worry when he left cause he would always look after me and Mama

even when he went to the other side

Anyways like I said my grandpa started his jounery today

and I sure will miss him He kinda more like a Dad than my Grandpa

And when they put in the ground,I'm gonna make sure

that got plenty of tobacco and his corn cob pipe

with him just in case he decides to stop and have a

smoke on his jounery to that other world even if my Mama dont like the idea

But right now something tell me she wont mind

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