Old Oraibi
Old Oraibi has no stone
To mark the spot where the land grew small,
When soldiers tore at sons and daughters
And families bowed and broken watched--
Ahi-yo, Ahi-yo
Old Oraibi has no stone
To build the school of grief where children
Learn the hunger they shall need
To please the soldiers of the dusty flag--
Ahi-yo, Ahi-yo
Old Oraibi has no stone
For the town crier to rest where he cries,
His messages found beneath pottery shards
Where dark tales stain the dust--
Ahi-yo.
And so the stranger kicks the dog,
And so he cripples the faithful horse,
And so he crushes the Savior-God
That he has brought to the People of Peace.
Old Oraibi has no stone
To seal the shrines, the fourteen kivas,
Split and charred like Old Oraibi,
Hating themselves, like Old Oraibi--
Ahi-yo, Ahi-yo.
© Copyright
2019 by Cary Kamarat .
All rights reserved.
From:
AMERICAN LEGENDS, by Cary Kamarat, available at Amazon.com :
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