Poetry

Poetry




Sometimes In The Shadowed Night

Sometimes in the shadowed night
I become spirit.

The walls, the bars, the gratings
dissolve into light and I unloose my soul
and fly through the inner darkness of my being.
I become transparent,
a bright shadow,
a bird of dreams
singing from the tree of life.
In the Shadowed Night..

by Leonard Peltier
from Prison Writings:
My Life Is My Sundance








Iron House

A moment of peace
A blessing so rare
Kept far from my brothers,
The Ironhouse don't care.

The belly of the beast
Of the Indian's demise,
Don't care that some feast,
amidst so many cries.

The breeze which I cherish
a brook flows from my eyes,
will my brothers ever know again?
My heart it strains in size.

Every day I sleep on the floor,
and yes, that is my choice.
But I walk outside the door,
now they will hear my voice.

My Iron House brothers,
held simply for Being.....
You have taught me to love,
I'm finally seeing.

I want to tell all my brothers,
whose only crime is being Indian....
Wakan Tanka hears the calls,
All our spirits are sending.

Your cries and prayers
Have not gone un-heard.
The wind is now shifting;
Or haven't you heard?D. Kinnett
3/25/00




Within These Walls

When the dark's not dark
but bleak
and answers
are all we seek

when shadows
crawl and minutes tick
the though of it
will make you sick

the cruelty
the looks
behind these
leaden walls

For in my fight
I struggle
and know I'll
surely fall

I am not so different
my fight not so separate
from those who walk
free and tall

we are all the same here
each on a different path
the Ancient Ones hear us
within these prison walls

the day will come
for all of us
to walk within
the light

and so reach out
to us
on this most
dark of nights
the shame is not
my making

society
fills these walls
and only now
the children
hear
our plaintiff call

listen to
The Ancient Ones
hear their
voices wail

for every day
I spend here
within this
rock called jail

the answers are
all out there
plain for all
to see

what I have done
is nothing
but what you
have done to me.

Copyright 1999
Dreamwalker
Respectfully
Crys The Tears/Dreamwalker~Lakota




DreamSpeak

They come in Dreams
long lines of the Old Ones

they speak in whispers
of Spirit of ONE

They carry their Spirit on the wind
Wanbli sings them home
sings them perfect again
and whole

They come on night winds
bare and stark
filling the emptiness
reassuring me

Their voices fill the night air
singingsuch sweet sounds
such beautiful songs

I remember
when I close my eyes
how it was
before

They come to remind me
remind us
to slow down
to listen

The darkness is not dark
there is no emptiness
only our willingness
to forget
to let go the Dream

They come singing
loud and pure and true

Old Songs
songs of Heart

Can you hear them ?

close your eyes and hear them
for they are
always singing

They will teach you the songs
the Old Ways
the Heart

Softly they come
lines of Elders
each withhis own song

Shadowy figures
singing the Dawn awake
singing the life
of a People
Listen
hear them sing
hear the Heart
of everything

Listen
Listen
Listen
Listen


Crys The Tears/Dreamwalker~Lakota
copyright 2000
Crys The Tears/Dreamwalker~Lakota

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"A Nation is not conquered until the hearts of its women are on the ground.Then it is done, no matter how brave its warriors or how strong its weapons."

Cheyenne




Imprints

Have you ever walked a lonely road
and seen them standing there
high upon the wooded ridge
with feathers in their hair?

Beyond the road and traffic sounds
with dignity and pride
they stand among the ages
with nothing left to hide

Their Warrior stance
their solemn face
the silent single tear
listen you can hear

The wailing of the winds blow round
the Ancestors are here
I feel them close and warm again
and hear their whispered fear

They stand in silent vigil
against the strongest winds
least we should forget them
and walk away again

They tell us to remember
with everything we do
that thier lives held such meaning
and always ours should too

Beseeching from the mountaintop
hair flowing in the wind
to remember prayers and smoke
and gifts from deep within

The fog rolls in and clouds the view
yet still I see them there
always watching down on us
with feathers in their hair.

Crys The Tears/Dreamwalker~Lakota
copyright 2000



Richness Of Spirit

Richness of Spirit
is not in the trappings
of Regalia or fans
but in the Heart

It is not of colors
nor of blood
it is of the inner self
the path taken

Richness of Spirit
is in deeds done
in thoughts and prayer
and in Heart

It is bowing to age
to Wisdom and right way
it is moving with
the Drum

It can not be counted
in ordinary ways
nor can it be bound
by ordinary days

It is felt on the wind
in the hand and eye
it is sensed
through touch

It's presence calms
reassures
it lifts us up
above pain and loss

It is won through suffering
through gifting
it is spun into
our very being

Richness of Spirit
can not be bought
nor sold for it has
no beginning and no end

You can feel it spread
in a crowded room
across an open plain
in a simple smile

It is that elusive quality
unrestrained in life
brought forth
from the Grandfathers

It graces the aged
it blesses the young
it finds it's own home
unbidden to stay

Crys The Tears/Dreamwalker~Lakota
copyright 2000




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