out among the trees and the brush
near where a mighty river
flowed into the sea
his grandson found him
and exclaimed and gnashed his teeth
"stop it, grandson," the old man said
"someone will think you are a white man"
the grandson stopped his rant and begged
"grandfather, what must I do?
how can I keep you in comfort
and get you back to our lands, our family?"
the old man laughed, "I am not in comfort
I doubt that you can find a comfort for me
as for the other, are you not family?
do I not grasp this earth and make it mine
at least for the time I have left?
be still, sit down, I must speak to you
must tell you of serious things
you have not learned or have forgotten"
the young man looked ashamed
"grandfather, you have taught me much
the creation story of our people
and how our family came to be
you have taught me how to sit still
to stand quietly, to listen, to see
you have taught me scents
you have taught me tastes of many things
and how to touch and learn from my fingertips
you have taught me to hunt and to fight
to converse with our enemies
you have taught me patience with women
and the pleasures that follow patience
and the wisdom I can learn from women
if I will just hush. what is left?
what more must you teach me?"
the old man smiled and eased his body
"to sit with what must be," he said
so the young man sat
he held his grandfather's hand
he sat and the old man lay
the noises of the forest entertained them
an hour passed, then another
the old man smiled and whispered
"perhaps you have learned"
he closed his eyes and relaxed
and after a while the young man knew
the old man had escaped
he wept then, the young man did
then did what he must to honor the dead
to honor his family and people
to honor their ancestors
then stood for a moment in quiet
and left
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