[Sust-mar] political commentary

[Roger Davies]

The Final Debate:
Being Listeners for Another Language


Over there, three days walk
through a run of bright days;
longer, when the snows tumble
and rise up, the bottomlands
now arcs and curves of white.
Around wetlands, we call
yet untouched and the geese
we call Canada touch,
when the red leaves leave
their branches.  Climbing
over what we call
glacial till, the boulders
appear in our sight
scattered -- and then
on to the frozen river,
through the community
of spruce and all we
can't see, to some
seemingly familiar opening --
to begin to build a small
warming fire, to begin now
to listen:  each in turn --
to the grandmothers,
to the White Bear
and her cubs,
to the silent words
in the singing sky.

                  copyright 2006 Roger Davies