Snug within their lodges
old men dream their old man
dreams of remembered youth
hunts failed
women achieved
Magnified by repetition
these symbols touch their lives
beyond the simple vocabulary of reason
offered as prayer
for continuity and remembrance

Snug within their lodges
old men weep their old man
songs of forgotten mystery
families raised
loves lost
dignified in isolation
these ancients touch our lives
with their stern refusal to forget

living symbols
of power in balance
I envy these shaman their
lives defined by wonder

Ó Deane P. Goodwin