He would appear and disappear
without a sound
Would stare at the stars
all night long
Sleep on the cold desert floor
Eat peyote buds
and sing war songs
He was rich
in all the nothing he had
Identified as a thunderbird
The animal spirits
were sacred in his world
Asked about gold
and he would scorn
Holding up water
the most precious
in all forms
I called him Navaho
        NO !
Call me Dineh !
So I did

Navaho...sitting by your tee,***
Looking far away...
Lost in space and time
Old warrior
Tired and  tranquil
Remenbering the old braves of yore
Phantoms that you see  
Among the clouds
Old partners of wars
Pow wows... in the night skies

Sleeping on the hard earth
Joined in efforts , tenacily
Wise as serpents
Light as a deer
Running in tall grasses
Your arrows  lined together
Above your shoulder
Your name" light foot"
Protected by the canopy
Of the wide Arizona skies

Colette Anne Naegle
copy rights 2005

The Walk

I got red clay and grass on my feet today in the land of the Navaho it seemed I channeled one of their
Braves it seemed my eyes grew stronger the buttes and mesas the southwest had on familiar adoring that
flows with a fluidity in the driest land yet still the streaming it breaks free and flows down to the
Valley then it arrests the high distant peaks like your eyes become the bow shooting at the target straight
And true with speed it passes stationary objects it brings them to intensified life they are passed in a whirl
No longer are they so fixed as they were nothing now they enliven my heart it beats faster with the joy they
Possess magic it lies in depths of tree and scrub it appears as a wild and crazed painter of the caliber of
Van Gogh started at a certain point definitely he favored red as his base color then with differing shades
Of green he cloaked this thermal world it would be uniquely different a somber invitation to a feast at first
Glance seemingly a hard pronounced edge but a people with dark red to brown skin walked into this
World they put the finish to perfect with indigo as their primary color of dress what living moods now
Stand out against the red terrain singularly or as a tribe they clashed with this scenic land earth and sky
Had a joining place among a people that were formable there power they were educated not by
Scholarly universities but by rock streams trees and from creatures that learned to survive in a hostile
Environment it’s interesting to note that one of our most robust presidents an easterner when his wife
And mother died within days of one another Teddy Roosevelt chose the west as the place to seek
Healing for his devastated life the rest of his life is a pretty good testament to this place and it’s curative
Powers not bad for a rocky dry land thought by most to be worthless just an observation of one whom
Walked in the paths of a rich diverse and proud people I think my Cherokee grandmother would be
Proud she always talked about where we would go she took a detour and went to heaven instead in the
Meantime I will do the earth side adventures for the both of us

Are You .... " P.C. " .... ?  

What Does That Mean ... ?  
Does It Make You Feel You're Good ..... ?!?  
And Treat People The Way You Should ... ?  

I Guess For Some ...  
That's What This Means ... ?
    
Well Folks I Hate To ...  
SHATTER Dreams ... !!!
  
But ...
That's NOT What It Means To ME ... !!!  
  
Calling Me ... " Coloured " ...
Instead of ... " Black " ...
  
ISN'T RIGHT ... !!!!!  
  
What's Up With That ... ?!?  
  
How Many Colours ...  
Do You ... SEE ... ?!?  
When You REALLY ...  
Look At ... ME ... !?!  
  
Coloured Is How White Folks Be ...  
After Fighting ... In The Street ... !!!!!  
  
But Am I Black ... ???  
Or Am I Simply ...  
Just A Man ...  
With A Slightly ...  

DARKER Tan ... !!!
  
Check Those Words ...  
And ... " OVER - STAND " ... !!!!!  
  
P.C. Means ....  
NOTHING ... To Me ... !!!  
  
P.C. Can Stand For  ....  
  
" Police Constable " .....  
  
Too Many of Them ...  
Means ... Here Comes TROUBLE ... !!!!!  
  
P. C.  ..... Does NOT Mean ...  
You Are ..... " Humble " ..... !!!!!!  
  
Stay With Me Now ....  
Don't You .... " Stumble " .... !!!  
  
This Simple Piece of Poetry ...  
Will NOT Be Seen As Being ... " P.C. " ... !!!  
  
Especially By The ... " Bourgeoisie " ... !!!!!  
  
But Truthfully ......  
What Does It Mean ... ?  
  
" Personal Computer ? "  
  
Or ... Could It Be ... ?  
  
" Big Brother's Viewer ? "  
  
... " Watching " ...
ALL The Things We Do ... ?  
Whilst Surfing Sites ...  
In Our Bedrooms ...  
  
I'm Not Sure ... ?  
Do You Have A View ... ?  
  
That's Something ...  
On Which To ... Chew ... !!!
  
"Eh get back to  
the question Jack !?!"
  
"Actually, the name is Virge !
Son, listen up, to these here words !!!  
are you P.C., or dismissing my poetry !?!"
  
Here's Some More ...  
..... " Analogies " .....  
  
P.C. Could Mean ... ?  
  
YES ... " Poetry Clique !!! "  
  
That's ... BAD P.C. ... !!!!!!!!  
  
I See These Cliques And EVIL Breeds ...  
And Watch Them From A .... " Distant Seat " ................................... ........ !!!
  
P.C. ... Could Mean ...
A .... " Private Club " ....  
Do You See The Link ... ???  
  
GOOD That's The Stuff ... !!!  
  
That Makes  ... " P.C. " ...  
A Thing For Those ....  
Who May Get Stuck ....  
  
Because P.C. ....  
Means Oh So Much ... !!!  

To Their ... " little " ...  
... NEEDY Minds ...  
  
I'm Saying ... !!!!!  
Are These People Blind ... ?!?  
  
THEY Seem To Need ...  
To Have ... " Guidelines " ...  
And ... Tend To Lie ...  
Throughout Their Lives ...  
  
THEY Like HARD Drugs ... !!!  
And ... Getting Drunk ... !!!  
  
"Sir, park your car  
between these lines,
NO, NOT those ones !  
that's Moss's Drive !
  
Her Mottos's ...  
  
"Be a ******* model,
take *******, and wreck your life !!!"
  
Folks That's A Joke ...
of ... My Design ... !!!  
  
Did You Laugh ... ?  
If Not ... That's Fine ...  
  
Let Me Move On ...  
And Feed Your Mind ...  
  
With More of .....  
My .... Simple Rhymes .... !!!!!  
  
" P.C. " ...

Could Just Mean ...
.... " Pretty Cool " .....  ?!?
  
Now THIS Definition ...  
Fits The Vocal Style I Use ... !!!  
  
And My Poetry When Fuelled .......  
  
By My Wish To ...
... Air My Views ...  
    
WITHOUT Pretence ...  
But Through The Use of ...  
  
... " Common Sense " ...  
    
My Wordplay's Built ...  
Like ... Navaho Tents ... !!!!!  
And Is NOT MEANT To ....  
  
..... Cause Offence .....  !!!  
  
But .... " secret sects " ....  
  
I DO Detect ....  
Are Stuck On Being ....  
  
" Politically Correct !?! "  
  
Now THIS P.C.  
Is NOT For Me  ... !!!!!!  
Cos' This Defines ...  
  
.... " Hypocrisy " .... !!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
Be Nice Because ...  
You WANT TO BE ... !!!!!  
  
NOT To Prove ....  
  
You Are ............................  
  
,........ " P.C. "

an alabaster buddha
and a Navaho ***

a trumpeter swan
white like ivory soap

some chess pieces
from the franklin mint

intelligent design
no

better homes and gardens
not by a long shot

and they say

still waters run deep
but shallow

is clear sunny
and warm

I could hear the sky’s unsteady dripping,
comforting as I slept in the cool fall morning
the Navaho-patterned quilt
warmed my body
resting quiet in the blind pull of gravity.
How sweet life is sometimes
age dripping gripping me.
But for now I am without a care.

Hours into days
Highways upon country roads all the way
Nonstop
It was Cross Country on the Hound
Travelling from the East Coast to the West Coast
However, rest stops made along the way
There were Bridges crossed overlooking the bays
But I will be travelling with no Hotel enroute to stay
Cities after cities in Downtown
Oh that Hound bus knows how to get around
Small Towns with citizens in their wave
Hello America, thanks for the encouragement all the way
The Rocky Mountains that marveled me
It was a spectacular sight to see
The other mountain formations reminded me of the Old Western movies
A thought that came to mind, “Hang Them High”
A Navaho Indian sitting on a horse waved to our Hound Bus when we passed by
He captured my heart and I knew I got in touch with America
But the Indian was friendly to the tee
It was definitely the key
I even travelled the Seven Hills
Up in Distance and down in descending
It seemed those hills had no ending
Mind you, I have travelled the Hound Bus to the West Coast 4 times
It was a 4 days journey each way
Yet spend 7 days in Hotel stays
So let me applaud that Hound Bus
Countryside admired
Yet the whole time I felt inspired
The USA was my getaway
But I am certainly happy to say
My journey was simply ok.