Don't know about war

Don’t know about war
Till you ending one*
Couldn’t even see
Till hope
Travelled a bridge
Not made true.
“So we knee deep in the BIG MUDDY
And the Captain said to push on!”

You said
“Don’t look back”
But can’t go forward
Till truth
Lands like comet
Rare
Precious copper
Offerings
Too OLD ONES
From afore
We knew not land
Only waters!

They stole your treasures
Forgot your names
Teachings from dark places.

Let each first
Be your feast
Two Spirits
Be yOuR textures
To burnt velvet
It all matters!
All of it!
Blood memory

Let Auntie winds
Unlock
The mysteries if you

Like Geese
Let Warrior
Worrier
War goer
Wonderer
Each turn take
Polishes copper armor

Come Home!
Âsokanihkêw!***
Careful
Only right there
Where the Grandmothers tell of safety
We will tend each ember.

Data Bear Hibernation 2023
*Lyric from Clash and Stormzy
To Alice Caldwell Kelly who is Queen of things that fall down and Woody Guthrie**
*** Cree - s/he build bridges, s/he makes a ford