Lois Red Elk writes and speaks using the ancient human language of the continent. In her latest poem, she offers a universal truth: Be present and aware in the here and now
About this artwork: "Adolescent Girls," a pastel by artist George Carlson of Tarahumara sisters living in the Copper Canyon of Mexico.
EDITOR'S NOTE: It is mindbending when one thinks about it, the way in which we normalize our own (mis)perception. Every month for a few years now, Mountain Journal's wonderful "poet in residence" Lois Red Elk has been sharing her works which speak to the inseparable, indisguishable essence of physical presence and earthly spirt. Part of it involves the total interrelatedness of everything—the opposite, in many ways, of the human-centric world that views existence as us and everything else. Delightfully, Red Elk shares her native language, though to some the words and phrases are treated as foreign when, in fact, they are powerful descriptive sophisticated evolved and ancient language reference points carried forward and spoken for many thousands of years. In Lois's latest dispatch to us, below, enjoy the wonder and power of indigenous expression that will widen your thinking about place and landscape on this shared continent. —Todd Wilkinson
By Lois Red Elk
Hello all MoJo Friends,
Love this time of year —harvest, school starts, settling in for next
season, planning new projects, more serious writing.
I come from a family of female dream interpreters, warriors, buffalo
hunters, herbalists, medicine healers, police, judges, and educators.
They shaped my life for the road I walk today. Their knowledge is
always reflected in my writings.
Once again, as a grandmother myself,I have been reflecting on my visits to my grandparents house lately
and praying over all their teachings. They prepared for the change in
season and saw these days as a time to be
thankful. My Grandma Louise and Grandfather Paul High Back
said that no matter what the hardships are, they are lessons
to be learned and to be mindful that the present is always sacred.
Always acknowledge and remember the sacred. Be present in the present. After all that has happened this year—fire, pandemic, flood,
death—there is always the sacred, the spirit that survives.
What this means was shared with the family in stories after every
ceremony I participated in and this tradition continues today.
This poem is a sharing of several of those experiences.
"The Night Follows Close," (2008) a painting by George Carlson featured in the new biography "George Carlson: The American West" published by Rizzoli
POSTNOTE: We are pleased that Lois is working away on a new collection of poems and will let you know when it is published. In the meantime, ask for her other volumes at your favorite local bookseller: Our Blood Remembers, winner of the best non-fiction award from Woodcraft Circle of Native Writers and Storytellers; Dragonfly Weather; and Why I Return to Makoce with a foreword from Montana's recent state poet laureate Lowell Jaeger and nominated for a High Plains Book Award in poetry. Given headlines that continue to appear about the discoveries of new atrocities committed at boarding schools for indigenous children, we encourage you to read Lois' contribution to MoJo that appeared in June, The Unspeakable Past Of Indian Boarding Schools
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About Lois Red Elk-Reed
Lois Red Elk-Reed is a poet who calls the high plains home. She is Mountain Journal's poet in residence.
