Rose Mary Robinson (Suggested by Janet Hilliker)

and so i go on journeys far and wide
and walk the distant hills
and watch the ever-closer stars
and hear the wind around my hair.

i follow, trembling as i climb
the rocks, no path laid out
that i can see, and yet
as i look backward, there behind
a trail is carved
for others who would follow me.

where do i go and who the voice
that beckons me?  sometimes i wonder
at the yearning deep inside
but mostly do i climb, unknowing
yet not blind.

and sometimes do i almost understand
the medicines that grow with me
and comfort give when i am lost
but not alone.

and sometimes as i see a glimpse
of life beyond the sky, i run
renewed with courage and the strength
of eagle wings.

there is no sense of ending
as i listen longingly, awake
to songs within my drum.
who sings to me?  and who am i
to know the music of the one
who calls to me?

---

Poem from “Dreaming History: A Collection of Wisconsin Native-American Writing” Mary Anne Doan and Jim Stevens, eds.

The author – Rose Mary Robinson – is of Ojibwa ancestry, is also known as Kookooequay (Owl Woman).  She was an influential figure in advocating for indigenous peoples treaty rights in Wisconsin.  She played a significant role in founding support groups ORENDA and the Midwest Treaty Support Network

Editor’s Note:  The author died and the original publisher’s business was sold to another company which has since gone out of business.