The Dance
 
The sun
With its rays of warmth
Sprinkles glitters of sunshine
Across the little valley;
 
I sit here in this little hideaway
By a tree that humbly gives me strength
And I witness
God's little creatures as they flutter
From branch to branch
And I wonder at how little
Their lives have changed all these years;
 
All that is alive
Sings and dances about me
And somehow I have become
A part of this little gathering
And I close my eyes,
 
There is an oncoming sound
That echoes and resonates
Through the skies
As the beat of distant drums
And drops of sea
Begin to fall upon my listless body,
It seems the thunderbeings
Have decided to join the dance,
They gather attention
From all that is and
That surrounds me
And if I listen to them very closely
I can hear them softly chanting a song
Of days past
When there were the echoes
Of voices and the laughter
Of a people who once were
A part of this beautiful dance;
 
After a brief moment of silence
The rain clouds have decided to part
Leaving behind only a portion of their gift
As a way of saying
Thank you for inviting me;
 
 
 
The sun, who is now bowing his head,
Brings his warmth gently
As if to say he must also be on his way
To other lands who long for his company;
 
And I
Who am now but half awake
And yet totally rested and filled with inner peace
Realize that I also must depart;
 
As I walk up the hill that has been
As a quiet observer in all that exists
And is,
I turn around
And feel the humbleness of God before me,
And I feel sad
To be leaving the dance
In these mystical canyons
Once Lakota Land.