Paddle Poems

2019
Sequoia Huack

I.

I will start by introducing the rivers.
See how they flow
with the ability to connect us all.
We emerged out of these waters.

Next, I will introduce the lakes,
And the great knowledge that comes from
them.

I want to acknowledge the
ground beneath us.
The soil from which we all grow.

Turn your attention to what is above.
See the clouds, gliding through the sky.
They carry a great weight with them.
Releasing the moisture that nurtures us.

When Grandmother Moon
appears so do the stars.
Oh, the stories they can tell us.

If we listen, we can hear their voices
Telling us their stories.

II.

I will start by introducing the ancestors.
Where are they you may ask?
Look around you,
Can you feel the earth beneath you?
Do you smell the air around you?
Do you hear the shivering of the leaves?
Can you see them so full of life?
These are the ancestors whispering to us all.
Our ancestors brought us together.
Wove us from sky and earth.
They created us.
And for that, I am forever thankful.
To know our future we must learn our past.
And once we learn our past we will know
our present.
If we listen, we can hear their voices telling
us their stories.