THE FACES (1)
blew ashes
into my hair
THE FACES (2)
whose big mask
cools it down
THE FACES (3)
with hanging little
balls of medicine
THE FACES (4)
had gambled for
the earth
FALSE FACES
& phony smiles
THE INSTRUMENTS (1)
pounders for corn
paddles for soup
THE INSTRUMENTS (2)
water
drums
horn
rattles
FIRE EVENTS
put out an old fire
.
kindle a new fire
.
do a war dance in the name of peace
(interlude)
speaking to Ham
was flicking my ashes into
Leslie Bowen’s
soup pail
POUNDING THE WOOODEN FLOOR WITH
BROOMSTICKS THE WOMEN
SANG SIX SONGS
going walking
.
in the middle of the room
.
a garden
.
I was alone
.
we all came back
.
& sat here
MIDWINTER MEMORY
Green Corn
SONG
*****************************
*I*love*my************world*
*****************************
*****************************
*I*love*my*************time*
*****************************
*****************************
*I*love*my*growing**children*
*****************************
*****************************
*I*love*my********old*people*
*****************************
*****************************
*I*love*my*******ceremonies*
*****************************
PRAYER EVENT
dancing
OBSOLETE QUESTIONS
who’s got an old dream?
.
who’s got a new dream?
.
who’s got a white dog?
DREAM EVENT (1)
See something in a dream & tell it in a riddle.
Let someone guess the riddle, let him give the object as a gift.
DREAM EVENT (2)
Act out a dream.
Let everybody’s brains turn upside down.
[obsolete]
THE PUMPKIN
has a lake
inside it
THE BEADS
MIDWINTER MEMORY
Green Corn
SONG
*****************************
*I*love*my************world*
*****************************
*****************************
*I*love*my*************time*
*****************************
*****************************
*I*love*my*growing**children*
*****************************
*****************************
*I*love*my********old*people*
*****************************
*****************************
*I*love*my*******ceremonies*
*****************************
PRAYER EVENT
dancing
OBSOLETE QUESTIONS
who’s got an old dream?
.
who’s got a new dream?
.
who’s got a white dog?
DREAM EVENT (1)
See something in a dream & tell it in a riddle.
Let someone guess the riddle, let him give the object as a gift.
DREAM EVENT (2)
Act out a dream.
Let everybody’s brains turn upside down.
[obsolete]
THE PUMPKIN
has a lake
inside it
THE BEADS
seen in my eyes –
with many colors
[dream-guessing riddles]
MIDWINTER
when I cough
THE ANCESTORS
Handsome
Lake
.
Happy
Hoolihan
CONCLUSION
It was all I could do
.
It was all I had learned
.
It was all that there was
[The preceding is the second part of a series of Midwinter poems written during several years of participation in ceremonies, both social & religious, at the Seneca Indian Coldspring Longhouse in western New York state. The first part of the series appeared in a posting on May 1, with some additional explanation as to their origin & intention. All poems were originally published in the author’s A Seneca Journal (New Directions, 1978).]
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