A Gift for the Pirates

The photo below is a gift for the pirates. They can use it as the frontispiece for their unauthorized collection of my poems and translations.

Actually, I quite like it. It is me as I am most comfortable and most true to myself. At seventy-six years old, I will never, in this life, look better.

Thanks to all of you who faithfully follow my work, and do so without pirating it.

Text and image © 2019 by Donald C. Traxler ꮨᏺꭽꮅ.

Twins

They are twins born of a different mother,
and in a different year,
one is from a time that is other,
and his brother is from here.
One speaks only an indigenous tongue,
the other writes songs that are never sung.
In their differences they are a team,
and live together in a dream.

Text and image © 2019 by Donald C. Traxler ꮨᏺꭽꮅ.

Parts

The whole is greater than the sum
of parts regrouping,
forming a new totality,
functioning on
yet another level.

Text and image © 2019 by Donald C. Traxler.

ᏞᎩ-ᎠᏗᏍᎦᎶᏗ / Ephemeral

"ᏞᎩ-ᎠᏗᏍᎦᎶᏗ"
ᎠᎴ "ᎦᏛᎬ-ᏄᏠᏯᏍᏛᎾ"
Ꮭ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᎤᏠᏱ ᎢᏳᏍᏗ.

"Ephemeral"
and "meaningless"
are not the same thing.

Text and image © 2019 by Donald C. Traxler ꮨᏺꭽꮅ.

The Other

The Other intrudes
upon everyday life
with its own
opinions.

Text and image © 2019 by Donald C. Traxler.

The Alter-ego

The alter-ego came unbidden,
trailing history
and lifetimes
of experience.
His agenda,
still unknown,
is his own.

Text and image © 2019 by Donald C. Traxler.

ᎡᏆ-ᎠᏓᏅᏙ / The Great Spirit

ᎡᏆ-ᎠᏓᏅᏙ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᎨᏳ,
ᎤᎸᏌᏓ, ᎠᎴ ᎥᎴᏂᏙᎲ,
ᎠᏎᏃ ᎡᏆ-ᎠᏓᏅᏙ
Ꮭ ᎪᏪᎶᏓᏎ ᎪᏪᎵᏗᏁ.

The Great Spirit is love,
light, and life,
but the Great Spirit
does not write books.

Text and image © 2019 by Donald C. Traxler ꮨᏺꭽꮅ.