Balance of the World Part I

by Howard Gayton


Deer Dance Day



Purification:


A tiny tornado dust devil

Twists in the dry heat.

Once they were supernatural.

Perhaps they still are.


Fire opens the Spirit Gate,

And Stone People are brought in.

It is dark here,

It is hot here.

Cedar's sweet aroma

Punctuates the prayers,

Welcoming the spirits.


Aho!

All of my relations,

All of my relations,

All of my relations.


Blue sky holds the moon,

Pure in expanse of space.

A twinkle of light,

Spirits depart.

The Deer is calling.

The Deer is calling.

Purified in the lodge,

I am ready,

I come.




Deer Dance Night



Journey's Start:

Ala ini kun maiso yoleme,

Hunu kun maiso yoleme,

Ini kun maiso yoleme.


On the hooves of a Deer I travel,

The shake of the rattle,

The beat of the drum.

Por medio de una flor,

Ruido del golpeteo,

Ritmo del tambor.


Into the flower I travel,

The shake of the rattle,

The beat of the drum.

Ala ini kun maiso yoleme,

Hunu kun maiso yoleme,

Ini kun maiso yoleme.












Click here to read Balance of the World Part II




About the Author:
Howard Gayton is a writer, performer, and theatre director based in Devon, England. He is the co–founder and artistic director of Ophaboom, a theatre company specializing in Commedia dell’Arte. For more information, visit his Endicott bio page.

"Balance of the World Part I," written in Arizona, was inspired by a Native American sweatlodge and by the Yaqui deer dance and Easter ceremony. The poem is copyright © 2006 by Howard Gayton and may not be reproduced in any form without the author's express written permission.

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