O sister
when did you become
the perfect treatise
on love and
the sacred painted face?
When did your words
divide the day
from my night?
It was ninety yesterdays ago
when first your verse
startled my eyes
speaking a language
native to this ground
speaking with grace
with love
and with a defined determination
sweetened by the red clays
of your home
The soul of the prairie
holds you in its embrace
the long vista
the tornado
the tempest
all compete for your attention
And here I stand
at the back of the line
humble
one hand in my pocket
one holding an urgent postcard
It simply says
Keep this in
your hand
it is for you.
Jul 18, 2016
Jul 18, 2016 at 8:28 PM UTC
O sister
when did you become
the perfect treatise
on love and
the sacred painted face?
When did your words
divide the day
from my night?
It was ninety yesterdays ago
when first your verse
startled my eyes
speaking a language
native to this ground
speaking with grace
with love
and with a defined determination
sweetened by the red clays
of your home
The soul of the prairie
holds you in its embrace
the long vista
the tornado
the tempest
all compete for your attention
And here I stand
at the back of the line
humble
one hand in my pocket
one holding an urgent postcard
It simply says
Keep this in
your hand
it is for you.
For Nagí. Sister poet and human bean.
