The Light By The Barn
July 6, 2023Remembering Mountain Men
July 6, 2023Returned To Say
When I face north a lost Cree
on some new shore puts a moccasin down,
rock in the light and noon for seeing,
he in a hurry and I beside him
It will be a long trip; he will be a new chief;
we have drunk new water from an unnamed stream;
under little dark trees he is to find a path
we both must travel because we have met.
Henceforth we gesture even by waiting;
there is a grain of sand on his knifeblade
so small he blows it and while his breathing
darkens the steel his become set
And start a new vision: the rest of his life.
We will mean what he does. Back of this page
the path turns north. We are looking for a sign.
Our moccasins do not mark the ground.
William Stafford
William Stafford (1914-1993) was an American poet and pacifist. He worked as a professor of English at Lewis & Clark College and authored over 50 books of poetry and prose. Stafford's poetry often explored themes of nature, peace, and the human experience. Some of his most famous works include "Traveling Through the Dark," "At the Un-National Monument Along the Canadian Border," and "The Way It Is." Stafford was known for his simple and direct language, and his ability to find beauty in everyday experiences.