FOUR POEMS FOR A CHILD SON
            Simon J. Ortiz
                c. 1972*
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                                            _December_18,_1972_

"WHAT'S YOUR INDIAN NAME?"

It has to do with full moments
of mountains, deserts, sun, gods,
song, completeness.

It has to do with stories, legends
full of heroes and travelling.

It has to do with rebirth and growing
and being strong and seeing.

You see it's like this (the movement):
go to the water
and gather the straight willow stems
bring them home
work carefully at forming them
tie on the feathers
paint them with the earth
feed them and talk with them
pray.

You see, son, the eagle is a whole person
the way it lives; it means it has to do
with paying attention to where it is,
not the center of the earth especially
but part of it, one part among all parts,
and that's only the beginning.


IT WAS THE THIRD DAY, JULY 12, 1971

Hitch-hiking on the way to Colorado,
I heard your voice, "Look, Dad . . ."
            A hawk
sweeping its wings
                    clear

through the whole sky

                    the blue
                    the slow wind
fresh with the smell of summer alfalfa
at the foot of the Jemez Mountains.

(You see, the gods come during the summer
for four days amongst the people,
bring gifts, bring hope and life,
you can see them, I mean.)

Waiting for my next ride,
I sang,
        Look, the plants with bells.
        Look, the stones with voices.


YESTERDAY

In the late afternoon,
there was suddenly a noise of birds
filling up everything.

This morning in the newspaper,
I read about starlings at the Air Force base.

I guess they were but all I knew yesterday
was that they filled up the trees,
the utility wires, the sky, the world.

That's all I know.


WHAT MY UNCLE TONY TOLD MY SISTER AND ME

Respect your mother and father.
Respect your brothers and sisters.
Respect your uncles and aunts.
Respect your land, the beginning.
Respect what is taught you.
Respect what you are named.
Respect the gods.
Respect yourself.
Everything that is around you
is part of you.


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* from _Going_for_the_Rain_, 1976

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