Acceptance

This is the day of idle hands,
We wait until we hear the bells
Of the White Man's Church,
A sign for us to meet
Within the hollow
Of what we have named
...the Valley of Great Loss.

We are the families
Of  Braves who lost their lives here,
Fighting for what they believed in
...freedom to be non-shackled
By strangers aggression and belief.

The journey to peace
Has been long and robbed us of much,
And yet we realize that the families
...of the white man,
Have suffered as much we have.
This knowledge has allowed us
To be more generous of spirit,
Forgiveness and understanding.

We are but a small tribe,
War weary...needing peace and calm
For those of us who are left,
And for those who will be our future.
We share this land and the secret
Of Mother Earth's great abundances
With those who have settled.
They call us friend, as we do them,
They say we are a community
We say we are one people,
And this works well for us all.

The Valley of Great Loss
...is a powerful reminder
Of how we do not want to live.
When the doors are opened
Of the church, we will be there,
Then the Indian children
Will play with those of paler skin,
Beneath the trees of great shade,
For we wish that they know peace
...before they know war.

We, the older will sit and talk,
And share the bounties of harvesting.
Language is no longer a barrier
Acceptance of our differences,
Has made closeness possible.

We are community,
We are one people,
We are family.

Betty Lou Hebert

~ Previously Known as Broken_Winged_Angel and BrokenWinged_Angel~

I know when to bow my head in defeat and move on...