ᎠᏥᎸᏍᎩᏔᏱ / Florida

ᎠᏥᎸᏍᎩᏔᏱ ᎤᎭᏎ ᎤᎪᏗᏗ ᏘᏲᎭᎵ. ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᎡᎶᎯ ᏘᏲᎭᎵᏗ ᎥᎿᎢ. ᎤᏍᏗᎨᏍᏙᏗ, ᎤᏯᏅᏗᏔ "ᎨᎪ" ᏲᏁᎦ ᎬᏙᏗ, ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᏂᎬᎾᏛ. ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᏰᎵ-ᏂᎨᏒᎾ ᎠᏓᏅᏍᏗ ᎦᎵᏦᏕᏁ ᎪᏩᏘ ᏄᏠᏯᏍᏛᎾ. ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᎾᏍᏋ ᎡᏆ ᏘᏲᎭᎵ ᎤᏯᏅᏗᏔ "ᎢᏆᎾ", ᎠᏎᏃ ᎠᏯ Ꮭ ᎪᏩᏘᏎ. ᎡᏆᎨᏍᏙᏗ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᏧᎳᏍᎩ. ᎾᏍᎩᏛ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᎦᏂᏰᎬ, ᎠᏎᏃ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᎾᏍᏋ ᎤᎾᏤᎵ ᎣᏪᏅᏒ.

Florida has many lizards. It is the land of lizards. The smallest, called "gecko" by the whites, are everywhere. It is impossible to leave the house without seeing them. There are also big lizards called "iguana," but I have not seen one. The biggest is the alligator. They are dangerous, but it is also their home.

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

I Will Be Indigenous / ᎠᏯ ᎨᏒᎣᏎ ᏴᏫᏯ

I will be indigenous
to the indigenous,
a Jew to the Jews,
a Christian to
the Christians.
What I will not be
is a hater,
or an oppressor.
To me, the most important
thing is respect.
If I must be
only one thing,
I will be human,
to everyone.

Short version:

I will be indigenous
to the indigenous,
a Jew to the Jews,
a Christian
to the Christians,
and human
to everyone.

ᎠᏯ ᎨᏒᎣᏎ ᏴᏫᏯ
ᏴᏫᏯ ᏗᏜ,
ᏧᏏ ᎠᏂᏧᏏ ᏗᏜ,
ᏧᎾᏁᎸᏗ ᎠᏂᏧᎾᏁᎸᏗ ᏗᏜ,
ᎠᎴ ᏴᏫ
ᏂᎦᏛ ᏗᏜ.

Text and image © 2019 by Donald C. Traxler.

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.