"A Song of a Navajo Weaver" by Bertrand N. O. Walker

[View this email on a browser]( [Forward to a friend]( [facebook-icon]( [tumblr-icon]( [twitter-icon]( November 25, 2018 [A Song of a Navajo Weaver]( [Bertrand N. O. Walker]( For ages long, my people have been Dwellers in this land; For ages viewed these mountains, Loved these mesas and these sands, That stretch afar and glisten, Glimmering in the sun As it lights the mighty canons Ere the weary day is done. Shall I, a patient dweller in this Land of fair blue skies, Tell something of their story while My shuttle swiftly flies? As I weave I’ll trace their journey, Devious, rough and wandering, Ere they reached the silent region Where the night stars seem to sing. When the myriads of them glitter Over peak and desert waste, Crossing which the silent runner and The gaunt of co-yo-tees haste. Shall I weave the zig-zag pathway Whence the sacred fire was born; And interweave the symbol of the God Who brought the corn— Of the Rain-god whose fierce anger Was appeased by sacred meal, And the trust that my brave people In him evermore shall feel? All this perhaps I might weave As the woof goes to and fro, Wafting as my shuttle passes, Humble hopes, and joys and care, Weaving closely, weaving slowly, While I watch the pattern grow; Showing something of my life: To the Spirit God a prayer. Grateful that he brought my people To the land of silence vast Taught them arts of peace and ended All their wanderings of the past. Deftly now I trace the figures, This of joy and that of woe; And I leave an open gate-way For the Dau to come and go. [Like this on Facebook]( [Share via Twitter]( This poem is in the public domain. About This Poem “A Song of a Navajo Weaver” was published in Indian School Journal (1906). Bertrand N. O. Walker, who published his poems under his Wyandot name, Hen-toh, was born in 1870. He is the author of the poetry collection Yon-Doo-Shah-We-Ah (Nubbins) (Harlow, 1924) and Tales of the Bark Lodges (Harlow, 1919), a book of Wyandot animal stories. He died in 1927. [Tales of the Bark Lodges]( Poetry by Walker [Tales of the Bark Lodges]( (Trieste, 2018) "The Caravan" by Sherwin Bitsui [read-more]( "Rituals, Yours—and Mine" by Kimberly Blaeser [read-more]( "Leaving Tulsa" by Jennifer Foerster [read-more]( November Guest Editor: Don Mee Choi Thanks to Don Mee Choi, author of Hardly War (Wave Books, 2016), who curated Poem-a-Day for this month’s weekdays. Read more about [Choi]( and our [guest editors for the year.]( [make a one-time donation]( [make a monthly donation]( [Small-Blue-RGB-poets.org-Logo]( Thanks for being a part of the Academy of American Poets community. To learn about other programs, including National Poetry Month, Poem in Your Pocket Day, the annual Poets Forum, and more, visit [Poets.org](. You are receiving this e-mail because you elected to subscribe to our mailing list. If you would like to unsubscribe, please click [here](. © Academy of American Poets 75 Maiden Lane, Suite 901, New York, NY 10038