How many long years did I spend with you,
Lakota Oyate?
Though Wasicu skinned, wearing the paleness of imperial greed,
The reverberant beating of ceremonial drums
Caused my heart to bleed
Rivers of blood,
Tears that I shed,
Soaking the sagebrush and sorrow-laden plains
Inside the hollows of my bones.

Tiyospaye, you are always.

Pilamaya, always and forever.

Mitakuye Oyasin.

Lakota Oyate, you raised me,
A rootless, tender-hearted girl,
Kicking up the dust on some
Empty reservation road.

Lost, but found
In your kindness.

Tiwahe, when I had none.

I filled my plate at your tables, Wojapi and thickened breads,
The laughter of the wild-hearted children
Ringing through the stars like the songs of rainbow-chested prairie birds.

Little takojas, how you grasped my hands and claimed me.
How clearly I can hear them calling, “auntie, auntie, come play!”

And so, the people of the river, below the plains of Standing Rock,
I love you, thechihila,
Forever.

My little children will forever walk in kindness and humility
Because of the values you raised in them;
Because you drew them in as if they were your own blood,
Because you sewed vibrant ribbons on their shirts
As if they belonged in their humanness,
In their innocence,
To your great nation.

Lakota Oyate, I can never repay you for the way your heartbeat

Saved me.

Prayed for me.

Pilamaya Wopila,
Always and forever.

The man by the flowers
is giving with his tender care

The woman by the shelves
is giving with her dusty hands,

Him, by the trash bin,
gives with his inconspicuous hard work

Her, by the street, gives with the brightest smiles

Them, by the office, gives with their protective minds,

And father gives with his visionary love.

Mother gives with her fine-honed instinct

Sister gives with her passionate dreams,

Brother gives with his inspiring character

Nephew gives with his contagious laughter.

You and I, by our flowers, by our shelves, by our trash bin, by our street, by our office, with our care, with our hands, with our work, with our smile, with our minds, or our vision, or our instinct, or our love, or our dreams, or our character, or our laughter,

We give.

Imagine a spherical shield,
all sensual swirls of body art
and gleaming currents of
silent comings and goings.

Her path is radiant
with skeins of silver slime.
She’s discreetly **** inside her shell,
snuggling in mystical moisture.

A willing captive,
She’s self-sufficient,
timid yet eager to explore,
free to withdraw at any given moment.

Admire the courage of her smallness,
the generosity of her gifts to the beauty
of our skin, our gastronomic delight.
She does not fear mortality’s ultimate crush.
She lives and dies in the joy of giving
her soft, sweet syrup back to the earth.

your gratuity
is not sincere
if it is balanced as a pendulum.
the anticipation of return
counteracts
the authenticity
of generosity.

it is acceptance that brings humility-
acceptance that a gift
is not equal
to inherent necessity for reward.
you cannot define "gracious"
while using the words
"owed"
or
"deserved."

allow every inch of your heart
to be a gift.
to be opened
received
and valued
for it is not in balance
that we show love-
but in the counterbalanced abnormality
of sharing.

Love is not just about you
And surely not just about me.
Love never exists anywhere
Unless we’re both free.
It cannot be a prison
Where one holds the key.
Love is not just about you
And surely not just about me.

Love is never selfish
If so, it’s something different.
It may be lust or desire
But it is some other sentiment.
You might wish it to be love
But if it’s all about what you meant
Then it is something besides love
Caanot stand as its equivalent.

If you love someone you wish
They get all that is good for them.
You say prayers for their life
And then you say amen.
Because you wish them to have
All the joy there ever has been,
And when they get that, you wish
That it will happen once again.

So, how can it be love if you
Wish only what you may need?
How can it be love if it is
All about your own sense of greed?
Love is not just about you
And surely not just about me.
Love never exists anywhere
Unless we’re both free.

If you love
The poorest moment
Makes you feel wealthy.
Your weakest movement
Will make you feel healthy.
You’ll count your blessings
As many as stars in the sky.
You’ll know you are fortunate
And you will know exactly why.

If you love
Your friends will not forget you,
Your memories will be joys to the end.
You will be the sunshine in life
To yourself and your beloved friends.
You will all gather to celebrate
Whenever you possibly can do it.
And those friends will stand the tide
Of reversal and see you through it.

If you love,
You will appreciate life’s many gifts.
The slightest gesture is like gold
If it is meant to wish you all the best.
The blessings age as you grow old.
You’re friends and family will smile
And shine the light of their eyes
Because you are before them and
Their love cannot be disguised.

If you love,
All that life can gather to give you
Will be magnificent memories of joy
That make you feel like you were a child
And had the gift of a wonderful toy;
One you had always wanted, or even
One you never had known was real.
But, if you love, you will have it all.
You will be glad of the love you feel.