The Swampy Cree Indians of northeastern Canada are known for their wonderful “naming poems,” simple narratives of how people earned their names, often in childhood. Here are a few poems I composed in the tradition of the Swampy Cree.
GIFT OF ROSES
Always when she walked, the roses
followed her—
bright and fragrant,
you knew when she was near.
At the end she left
a painting, full of roses
on her easel
A gift
for us to cherish—
all of us,
forever.
CHEERFUL WITH BUNDLES
Singing he went
cheerfully
with bundles
on his back
Laughing, sometimes
chuckling. The creatures
that he met
would greet him
when they saw him.
Scampering,
they followed
as he sang.
LOVED ALL THINGS BEAUTIFUL
Morning moonstone
sky, evening sunset,
clouds ablaze
with color, flaming
gold or russet.
Always she was
capturing
the beauty with her
camera.
Walking in the woods,
a leaf. All weathers
were her friends.
That’s how we came
to name her
all things beautiful.
Sharon Flitterman-King, Ph.D., ia a writer living in Hillsdale, New York, with her husband, David King.
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