last mother
Anasazi Mother,
at home among
prickly pear
sagebrush
lizard
did you sing to Moon?
Anasazi Mother,
boulder jumble
sandy canyon
coyote yip
burr of wasp
did snake speak to you?
Anasazi Mother,
spires spearing dry sky
pockmarked rock
cruel sun
red rock nest
did you dream of cool caves?
Anasazi Mother,
some say when a new shaman’s hand
rests in a petroglyph handprint,
the shamans gone before
fill her with their spirits
what rock-locked wisdom do we need?
Anasazi Mother,
what knowledge lies buried
with your ancestors
under your kitchen floor?
Anasazi Mother,
when your hands failed
did you still yearn
to imprint sun-seared boulders?
when your lips burned
and your tongue swelled
did you keen at the water hole?
when your hearing failed
did you mourn
buzz of bee, wind stirring ricegrass?
when your heart failed
did you still struggle to ask Moon
why the rains no longer blessed the land
and all your children died?
……..Nan Lundeen
Valley of Fire, Nevada
The poet is grateful to The Petigru Review where “Last Mother” first appeared.