Melanie C. Campos ~ MahTame

PLEASE STAY WITHIN MY HEART

Beyond the horizon across the flat land
Once stood my ancestors, so stoic and brave
Long before they were forced to disband
Where buffalo was a plenty; no need to save

Migrated slowly down south over eons of time
Over the Rockies through the southern plain
Forged through wintry elements while they climb
And descended downward to Oklahoma’s domain

Echoed songs sung to the children; lullabies
Warriors sang of battles with other tribes or armies
Now, one can hear the somber melancholic cries
Of those who were forced to live with absurdities

A way of life had come to an end, into a new era
No more tepees to set up camp by water’s edge
Now we’ve become a spectacle and pose for a camera
While in our regalia of beads, shells, buckskin and fledge

Traditions are dying to the modernized society
Stories told from a memory are dwindling away
Our Elders are passing on from their native’s journey
‘Please stay within my heart, my Kiowa family’s way’

Author’s Note: Inspired by music, “Sage Mist” by Brian Akipa, a native flutist. This poem was published in the e-zine, P&W (Poetry and Writings)