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Maple Candy Smiles

Reflections of the sun,

Spot wigwam walls,

Reverent people face the east,

Pinches of tobacco burn in sacred fires,

Spring time renewal,

Dance of the Thunder Beings,

Maple candy smiles,

New hopes for a new year,

Midday sun high in the sky,

Spirited beings sharing sacred places,

Light reveals cedar tree mysteries,

Shadows are lost under leather bound feet,

Summer gatherings greet new faces,

Looking for reflections of those we lost,

Birds and insects feast on three-sisters gardens,

Welcoming lakes and streams cool warm tan bodies,

The sun sinks low in the western door,

Our spirit cries out for just a little more,

Firelight silhouettes speak in Native tongues,

Smoke from a sage bundle cleans our hearts and minds,

The falling leaves moon,

Always comes too soon,

Harvest feasts and ghost suppers,

Ancestors share spirit food offerings,

Grandmother Moon,

Watches over her grandchildren,

As we lay on Mother Earth,

And dream of sweet-grass fields in the sun,

A blanket of white snow,

Covers the frozen ground,

Tribal Elders share special stories,

Echoes of countless seventh generations.