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The People First
(Indigenous Peoples Day)
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Today on the
Convenience of a Monday,
We acknowledge
Indigenous Peoples Day
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A day for dance
For songs whose lyrics
Most of us don’t know
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Set before
Except for math in certain years
The arrival of Columbus
On a day
And on that day
First time
Complicit in
The Taino
Vanishing
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We inveigled
Tricked
Overwhelmed
After learning to survive
Pushed the people
Pushed our teachers
And, yes, first adversaries
Onto arid land
At last
Unless a virtue be discovered there
Then moved farther on
xxxxxArtificial islands
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xxxxxSomething under
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What shall we do this day?
Not give anything back,
I’m sure
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Feathers
Leathers
Colors
How to live with nature
When even nature’s scant
Colors of the earth
And of fauna
Movement, teaching of the seasons
Life with the Spirit,
The hand of God that pressed
The mountains
And the valleys
Plains between,
Ridges and runnels
Of the fingers
That should be
Filled with water
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Truths of land and air,
Interesting add-ons for us
Supplements for mortal life
Maybe next year’s
Vacation
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What is the hope
For a people pushed
And pushed off,
As if unwanted by the created world
Yet placed onto the world
First,
First people here?
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Well, there is a day
I think better have the day
Than not
It offers balance
Maybe pain with recognition
Suffering with acknowledgement
Especially against
The time to come
In two days’ time
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C L Couch
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Photo by Mike Newbry on Unsplash
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I could be sorry for the we-they attitude (and I am) except it’s what we (they) have. Hope for a day to come when we can mesh and moosh the pronouns because the better unifying has happened.
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clcouch123 
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