Kurt Philip Behm

Oglala Lament: December, 1890 (+1)

We cannot eat lies

or feast on empty promises

 

No more than the bison,

starving in the desert sand

 

We cannot clothe our children

as we run from the Wasichus

 

Our teepees torn and freezing

amidst the winter snows

 

(Pine Ridge South Dakota: Late September, 1994)

 

 

Grandfather\'s Song

 

Our Father, life giving light,

Redeemer of the plains

 

Carry our offerings into your heart,

remember, we serve in your name

 

Spirit Redeemer, the mountains and hills,

distant and barren in lore

 

The drums have restarted, the chanting begun,

the People despairing no more

 

(From ‘The Book Of Prayers:’ September, 2020)