In honor of National Poetry Month, here is a poem from my university creative writing days. This poem’s style imitates that of the Swampy Cree First Nation from Canada. Their poetry often described a person by his/her attributes and was written in community voice.
Who Saw Doves
–
She came to us from the shore,
pale-skinned with stringy yellow hair.
Vultures smelled sea salt
on her flesh, swooped near her ears
and crowed, We love you.
–
We told her not to believe them –
that they wanted to taste
the ocean fish in her belly –
but she could not hear us
over the beating of feathers.
–
Laughing, she climbed high into the oak
and crawled into the nest. Surrounded by vultures,
she whispered, How lovely to be a friend
of the doves.
“Who Saw Doves” was part of my collection, “Olive Branch,” which I presented at the 2013 Sigma Tau Delta Convention. It was also featured in Watershed, Baker University’s literary magazine.
Kate M. Colby 