Behind That Navajo Smile

Neville

Behind That Navajo Smile

 

What have those eyes

of yours seen

in the passing of time

my friend ..

The coming of seasons

and the birth

of new souls no doubt ..

Not to mention the

departure of old ones

and so many

bleached bones ..

The rape of our prairie

and demise

of the forest, we once

hunted and played in ..

So I ask you

again what became of

clean-water, of buffalo,

of elk, and of

rainbow flanked salmon ..

Is it so hard to

forget, the back-on-back

famine ..

Those lean years and the

slaughter ..

The arrival of small-pox,

of syphilis

and of course, influenza ..

Not to mention our old

friends both

cholera and alcohol ..

Yes those are but a few

of the many

things we are meant to

be ever so grateful for ..

And just a few of those,

these eyes of

mine have been privy to

in the passing of time,

my friend ..

Now does all that satisfy

your vague

curiosity and answer

the question

that you ran past me earlier ..

 

 

  • Author: Neville (Offline Offline)
  • Published: July 28th, 2022 02:31
  • Category: Unclassified
  • Views: 59
  • User favorite of this poem: L. B. Mek.
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Comments8

  • arqios

    All that packed away behind smiles, of every indigenous people the world over. Our history of being unkind outweighs all our shining moments put together.

  • Neville



    .................................. true

  • dusk arising

    Ah, the great dispossessed of the country that would have us believe it celebrates democracy (so long as we are prepared to forget that some are a bit more equal than others).

    All those mentions of celebration and defeat subjects viewed from... well that's the point really isn't it, where one is standing on the privileged or non privileged scale/balance does somewhat influence our view. Or the cold distant observers eye, my eye, soured enough to see, stupid enough to say, wise enough to know i matter not one jot.

    • Neville



      I beg to differ with your summative sentence sir .. and I absolutely insist you write out x5 m (that's five million) times, 'I must not be so hard on my self, there are plenty of others who will do that for me' ...................................................... Nastrave DA .. N 🙂

    • Fay Slimm.

      Oh the questions such victims of cruel land-rape must ask and penned here with raw and powerful lines the proud history of many indigenous peoples that now only know second-hand about old times of living with and not off their land -- shameful the displacements to concentration camps that breed only vague smiles - -- nuff said at present Nev. on the subject about which I feel most strongly ........x

      • Neville



        its always good to know you are safely tucked up in my corner Fay ... x

      • L. B. Mek

        Brilliant!!!
        forgive my rudeness, dear Poet
        but was wondering if this would be a good accompaniment for your heartachingly beautiful words:
        (
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nOPPuuWBec
        )

        • Neville



          Yeha-Noha .. the perfect accompaniment, brother Mek ... thank you so much for the nod and bringing it to my attention ............... incidentally, the image of the Navajo woman that fronts the link you sent is the self same one that inspired these words 🙂

          • L. B. Mek

            Hyung! we be destined to sync
            time n again
            just an awesome feeling, every time..
            just a great write!

          • orchidee

            I'm more equal than others. To me, 2 + 2 = 5! Dunno why I'm waffling on. lol.

            • Neville



              You aint no Carol Vordeman either, are you ................................. 🙂

            • Goldfinch60

              The Native Indians had a true way of life for the good of all that was taken from them by those that invaded their country and changed the world.

              Andy

              • Neville



                True words writ GF60 and in many respects, sadly so ............................. Neville

              • Doggerel Dave

                Never mind the Navajo....I mean do mind the Navajo but also mind the First Nations of Australia, who for at least 65,000 years kept this environment in pristine condition... that is until 1788....
                A beautiful committed write, Neville.

                • Neville



                  I feel very much the same way about all 'First Nation' races & peoples Dave wherever upon this globe of ours they hail .. our ancestors have an awful lot to answer for, don't they .. and could not agree with you more sir .......................................... Neville



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