“call to community” by ishmael ahmed
The edge of the western Abanaki, just before the water shed changes
In the valley of the Connecticut
Near the falls, the old places of learning
A place is made
In it
An ingathering initiated by the garden created
A space to begin to be
Simple, grounded; seeds planted
Re-emerging of older ways
How do we connect
What can we do with the time together
What will be done
Susu, community, reciprocity
Commitment to the work
Now
For the seven generations to follow
The rainbow
How do we through off the yoke of the colonizer
How do we return to place
To all people come knowledge
The prophetic speech
Do we listen
For Black elk has spoken
Given the ghost dance
The dream of the people returning
The return of sustenance
Arising the people of rainbow
Pounding of the feet to earth, ancestors arise
Resonance, the call, the manifestation
From the rainbow, all colors, shades and hues
Sounds of voices coloring the world
With speech
It with words, providing a since of meaning
Painting it with sound
Illuminating desire
Calling for a reconciliation with peace
On the edges of the western Abenaki
The Connecticut
Before the ridge where water flows north
A place is made
And ingathering occurs
Susu
