When you were born,
we wondered if you would become
a swimmer,
a runner,
a dancer,
or something else entirely.
Someone who could skate
across frozen rivers and lakes,
Someone who could dipnet the stars
with the ancestors,
Someone who could sing their songs…
And call back their great grandparents’ memories like a sunrise.
Someone who’s words and stories
could talk to spirits.
When you were born, we got stronger,
We laughed harder and poured our tears and sweat back into the earth.
We heard the river call your name
We felt the fire crackle in delight
I saw my grandpa’s ghost and he said to you, welcome back.
(A poem that I wrote a few months ago.)
