i was brought onto earth on turtle island
made contact with the soil
with the water that gives me life
the watersheds of the
susquehanna siskëwahane
delaware lenapewihittuk
and hudson muhheakantuck, shatemuc
of which i am familiar
the ominous white tail deer
cunning baby fox
succulent catfish
impervious ticks
this is the land of the Lenape
an assemblage of nations of which are no more
who stewarded the land with intention
not to mention
being one of the land
not one who ‘owns’
who is left standing on the land
an occupying army
for which barbarism is honorific
for which extraction is paramount
who stands to be a victim of its own victory
the land is wise
and sends messages of unbalance
that cannot be ignored as malice
poured into the vessel of time
let a reckoning
a requiem
come
let reality become undone
and become one with the land
like a call and response
again
and forever more.
