Appearing Day (mini-epic poem)

How to Join	Member's Area	Private Library	Search	Sanctuary		Login
Main Forums	Discussion	Tech Talk	Mature Content	Archives	A home without a wall, Our haven without ends, A circle we all call Our Family of Friends!

Gene
Senior Member

since 2000-01-23

Posts 935
Colorado, USA

0 posted 2001-01-19 06:58 PM

This is my attempt at an epic poem. Well, it's a short epic, but I warn you, it's still pretty long. This has no relation to actual Native American folklore. I just wrote it as a cute story. I hope you enjoy it. -- Gene

-------

Appearing Day

Old Man Speaking came out of his lodge, waved his arms and said,
"Come now, my little ones, listen and I will tell you a tale of a strong young Brave,
who lost a world, in search of his immortal love."

Old Man Speaking, spoke in unfamiliar tongue of a time long past and since forgot,
when voices of the Ancient Ones had sung of place; a beauty graced
by a world that was new, and not yet forsaken by a younger world.

He spoke of Silent Wolf, the chosen one; our warrior servant.
Silent Wolf was a warrior son of ours, who never spoke, but was the strongest of all the young Braves.
So, when our people were cast into a veil of darkness;
a melancholy ice that covered the Earth and lasted many moons; a darkness no Sun could light,
we called upon Silent Wolf to wake us from our saddened sleep in a dying world,
and to restore Earth’s soul to a time as it was once before,
when rivers flowed free and Buffalo Spirit roamed the Earth;
when hunting was a way of life;
when living meant a fullness of life;
when the Sun would shine, and the dove sing as the morning light appeared over the Eastern Hill;
when Appearing Day would always follow the night, gently pulling the Sun along behind her;
when we basked in her golden light and never feared the dark.
when we were a proud nation and never would have asked for a warrior savior.

So, Silent Wolf accepted the call and sought the guidance of Gigantic Elk.
Gigantic Elk was the Elder then, who prepared Silent Wolf for his journey to the Other Side,
and made Silent Wolf drink a solemn vow in preparation for his ritual passage into the Sun.
They sat in Kiva around an open fire, and gazed into the flames, until Silent Wolf saw visions of
a time he had forgot; a time when the Sun warmed our souls and filled this Valley with life.
He felt a rising in his soul, as if he could fly,
but Gigantic Elk warned him that he could not fly and must wait for Appearing Day, who would bring the Sun,
and reminded him to go not just for himself, but for all mankind, then sent him on his way.

"Go now my son, take this Blanket of Dreams, then climb the highest height,
where upon a rock, you shall sit for three days and three nights.
‘til the seventh moon is in the seventh day,
when it must be in the River of Lights,
when Eagle Spirit will come to you and show you Appearing Day."

Appearing Day lived in the sky, but on the spirit side of the River of Lights.
She came from the Great Beyond, in the Land of Forever.
With all her beauty and brilliance, she had given so much to us, but was unable to feel it herself.
She longed for the human touch; to live as one of us.
So, every seventh day of every seventh moon, she waited ‘til the moon would shine in the River of Lights.
Then, on a bridge of silver moonbeams, she would walk across to the other side
in hope of meeting Silent Wolf—in hope of becoming his mortal bride.
But, Silent Wolf, a mortal soul, would desire her too much; could not wait,
and would lust for the chance to forever be in her embrace; forever, ‘til the end of time.
So, in his impatient lust, he called to her, forgetting his earthly vows:

"Soft Appearing Day,
come caress my face with light;
make me immortal."

But, jealous Stalking Moon, who followed Appearing Day across the sky, would not abide.
Stalking Moon, who always had a scowl on his face, tried to keep the two apart.
So, Silent Wolf, in a fit of anger, took off on his quest to find immortality,
but in so doing, lost his true self as his heart turned cold and dark.

He found the rock that Gigantic Elk spoke of, and laid the Blanket of Dreams down on the rock,
upon which he sat for three days and three nights,
and waited for Eagle Spirit to carry him away in flight.

On the second day, weak and weary, he called to Appearing Day one last time (as our people had asked),
but didn’t realize he was thinking of himself and not of the task:

"Appearing Day, caress my face with light,
Then greet the morning dove; it’s joyous song,
And then, by beauty’s shined eternal bright,
Lay shame on jealous Stalking Moon, thus wronged;
Wipe tearful memories from my darkened eyes,
And then, replace them with the color blue.
Where darkness veil did cover painted sight,
Thy beauty’s light reveals the passion hued.
Restore Earth’s soul; breathe life into the trees,
And wake our Mother from her silent sleep.
Then leave me dream till first of morrow’s breeze,
When come anew, thy light returns to me,
Pull back the dreaming blanket of the night;
Again, bestow thy blessed gift of sight."

Then, on the third day, just as Silent Wolf was ready to collapse from exhaustion,
he stood up with his outstretched arms and bared his chest to the Sun,
as Eagle Spirit swooped from the sky, and with his talons, ripped into the flesh of Silent Wolf’s chest,
and pulled him up toward the Sun, so that his heart might be warmed in the light,
then set him down upon a cloud, where he would wait for next Appearing Day.
But, in the final night, as Silent Wolf lie on the cloud, he saw Stalking Moon
looming from behind another cloud.
Without thinking, Silent Wolf leaped up to try to shove Stalking Moon into the River of Lights.
He had let his anger get the better of him at the expense of his intended deed,
and sorry he could not fly, fell from the sky, landing on the ground,
and found himself back on the rock he had never left, wrapped in his Blanket of Dreams—
all that was left to comfort him, as he had lost not only his one true dream,
but a world he could no longer return to.
For his people, angered at his foolish greed,
Were already moving on in search of a better hunting ground.
And Silent Wolf, who never spoke, forever trapped in darkness of a world he had lost,
could no longer bare his silent grief, and howled incessantly at Stalking Moon,
but Stalking Moon just looked down on him with a contemptuous smile,
as Appearing Day shed a warm salty tear, melted the ice,
and flooded the world with her sorrow, that filled the Great Pond
beyond. And on into the Land of Forever.

Now, in the night, when the moon looks down on us, you can still hear Silent Wolf cry,
cursed in darkness, to do so for all his while.

And that’s how the wolf got its howl,
and how the moon got its smile,
and why the Great Pond is salty, even still,
and why Appearing Day, in her sullen mood, void of any will,
must now be gently nudged by the Sun each day, up and over the Eastern Hill
or would fall back into the Land of Forever, forever lost in the Great Beyond.

----
Gene Margolis 1/19/01

[This message has been edited by u_gene (edited 01-19-2001).]

William P Bussey
Member

since 2000-02-26

Posts 188

1 posted 2001-01-19 07:41 PM

I found as I read, that the further I went the more I began to understand, and before I finished, most of it was clear, I enjoyed this, being from the southwest, NM, I relate to the terrian and theme, also it reminded me of books I have read where the Indian was explained more fully as to his beliefs. Great read, I really enjoyed it.

ellie LeJeune
Member Elite

since 2000-01-10

Posts 4156
King of Prussia, PA USA

2 posted 2001-01-19 07:51 PM

I am astounded at the beauty of your writing! This is surely an epic tale of pure delight, I was entranced from the first, and fully engrossed to the end. You are a master story teller! Bravo! I have always loved reading indian lore and this is fabulous.

A friend hears the song in my heart, and sings it to me when my memory fails.

kcsgrandma
Senior Member

since 2000-09-24

Posts 1522
Presque Isle, ME

3 posted 2001-01-19 11:57 PM

Wow, Gene! I love the way you put this story together! It may not be real folklore, but it certainly sounds like it! Nice job!

To love another person is to see the face of God.
- Les Miserables

Marilyn

Munda
Member Elite

since 1999-10-08

Posts 3544
The Hague, The Netherlands

4 posted 2001-01-20 05:20 PM

Cute? You are cute, this is fabulous! A great story, a beautiful haiku and a "singing" sonnet. I feel I just won the lotery! Beautiful writing Gene. Loved it... every word.

[This message has been edited by Munda (edited 01-20-2001).]

Moon Dust

Member Elite

since 1999-06-11

Posts 2177
Skelmersdale, UK

5 posted 2001-01-20 08:49 PM

Wow, wasn't sure what to expect when I started reading that. But I guess I learned something. Wonderful story

Life has got to chnage,
Nothing stays the same,
Soon it will be time,
For me to move on.

	⇧ top of page ⇧
All times are ET (US). All dates are in Year-Month-Day format.