Poetry Friday (on Saturday): Howard Norman

Howard Norman

I am a day behind the usual Poetry Friday posting. So this is Poetry Saturday. I want to share a poem from one of my absolute favorite collections, The Wishing Bone Cycle by Howard Norman. The subtitle is "Narrative Poems from the Swampy Cree Indians." Apparently they were "gathered and translated by Howard A. Norman" - but I do think the gathering, the eye for what is poetic, is 100% Norman's. In a significant way, these poems are only partially translations in the traditional sense. Norman has learned the stories and turned them into poems. Here is one that delights me:

One night I was wishing things all over.

Then, I thought there were too many stars.

in the sky

and not enough light down under,

in the earth.

That's when I wished a star down

for that mole

to carry on his nose.

He took it down under.

He walked around with it under there

and tried it out.

Now he comes up sometimes

to let his star talk to the other stars

in the sky.
It's dark down there

but his nose sees where he's going. 

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 Poetry Friday was hosted yesterday for everyone who knows it's Friday and not Saturday by the most lovely and energetic Renee La Tulippe over at No Water River.  Head over there to see what people posted!