Tuesday, January 06, 2015

Tuesday poem #92 : Christine Stewart : This— from Treaty Six





They look at what they see






This valley

 
I broke this it shattered
 

Standing there
 

Twenty feet to the left that will upset everyone

Those rocks like that






This river

This bending from here
 

That meeting
 

To their free time against this one you would do so
 

Because they were very cold under
 

That bridge in their free time
 

This one from there and that one under is better
 

To the right of that they threw it
 

Toward this river they ate that
 

Next to from which their free time shifts this water shifts this
 

Sound and so will I
 

Because I was very cold by this sand
 

Settling in that bend
 

I was very cold






Those ravens

 

They go that way
 

Two through like this
 

Across this river snow muffles that
 

They are like here through air muffled
 

Two through like this
 

I will do it as well
 

Being as though they are to go through
 

They change
 

It is very kind of them to come






These beavers

That sudden they would do so
 

Changes this a slice
 

Nearly that quickly
 

Through there






These coyotes

And they thought the better of it
 

But it is all of which they taught
 

That they were in a hurry yet
 

Kindly have it joined as they mind






These magpies

An imitation
 

By which they need
 

As they are alike






These buffalo berries

How do you do?
 

 By which shaking
 

 They hurry
 

  By which they kindly lay down
 

  Thank you






These spruce

Then at once each
 

Pleasing each
 

One fell before that another and another
 

And the wind
 

How do you do






Those deer prints
 

These clouds as well arranged
 

This sky as cold following
 

That bank brown and different in shape






This crayfish

Once at a glance and the water water by them






Those rocks

Or while they went they gathered more






These boatmen

It is will that wills them that water and their pleasure






That geese place

To submit to this joining in this pleasure together






This big beaver house

I am here now directly although it is cold in the evening






That old beaver house

Before recently yesterday they went back back and forth






This cliff

It is there it whistles it is not narrow.






Those eagles

Then not only at a distance and with nearly
 

In which and because it suits them to fan
 

It is very well to go up and look down
 

That they could please that they see
 

Where it is better that they are there
 

They look at what they see
 

They look very long
 

They care for it of course they care for it






These rocks

 Or they make it plain by their own time






This river

Well and welcome as the day which when the sun shines


                                         Makes water grow or covers others more






Those buffalo

Often as evening is as light
 

                As once for all
 

                         Think of how how often how many
 

                                        And they like it here plainly





These owls
 

At a distance they are
 

There with them.
 

And to be interested and to be with them
 

They will be very well


It is a call resting very well
 

Thank you

 

With a gracious wish they will establish their independence of killing they are coming and not waiting.



Christine Stewart studies and teaches experimental poetics and creative research at the University of Alberta. She is also a member of the Writing Revolution in Place Research Collective.  Selected publications: from Taxonomy. West House Press. Pessoa's July: or the months of astonishments. Nomados Press. The Trees of Periphery. above/ground press. Virtualis: Topologies of the Unreal. BookThug, and The Humanist with Red Nettle Press (forthcoming).

the Tuesday poem is curated by rob mclennan


No comments: