Indian Wedding

ndian Wedding

Winnebago, Omaha, Cherokee,
Little children tugging on the hemline of the past
Speaking sound and words
foreign
to tribal memory
losing
elemental sureness
trading for
penthouse,
not tent house.

A woman and a boy
removed
from the culture strain
marvel
at the
consequences,
and are mystified
at the mysticism,
caught up in Merlin
Magic,
Aroused by cedar
Incense
Caressed by chants,
Consumed with curiosity,
Forever changed
By a culture
Forever Changed

Too many braves
Are at the trading post
Too many trades
That are bad for the blood.

One small ceremony
in the wilderness
keeping the past
and the future
alive.