I Am Neither

I am neither Christian nor Jew,
nor Buddhist, nor Hindu.
My being is in their source,
and far older, too.

I look out upon a dream,
and inward upon a fire.

ᎠᏯ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᎥᏝᎢᏳᏍᏗ ᏧᏁᏁᎸᏗ ᎠᎴ ᏧᏏ,
ᎠᎴ ᎠᏓᏕᏲᏗᏍᏙ, ᎠᎴ ᎯᏁᏚ.
ᎠᏆ ᎠᎴᏂᏙᎲ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᎤᎾᏤᎵ ᏗᏓᎴᎲᏍᎬ ᎭᏫᎾ,
ᎠᎴ ᎤᎪᏗ ᎠᎦᏴᎵᎨ, ᎾᏍᏋ.

ᎠᏯ ᎭᎦᏔᏎ ᏙᏰᎯ ᏌᏊ ᎠᏍᎩᏘᏍᎦ ᎾᎿ,
ᎠᎴ ᎭᏫᏂ ᏌᏊ ᎠᏥᎸ ᎾᎿ.

Text and image © 2019 by Donald C. Traxler.

From My Chair / ᎠᏆ ᎦᏍᎩᎶ ᏂᏛᎴᏅᏓ

From my chair
I survey worlds
and encompass time.
Both past and future
live in the present,
and become sublime.
I cannot bless virtue
or erase a crime,
but I can contemplate
the underlying
splendor.

ᎠᏆ ᎦᏍᎩᎶ ᏂᏛᎴᏅᏓ
ᎠᏯ ᎠᏟᎶᏍᏓᏎ ᎡᏆ-ᎡᎶᎯᏗᏁ
ᎠᎴ ᎦᏌᏆᎸᏍᏓᏎ ᎢᎪᎯᏓᏁ.
ᎢᎬᎳ ᏧᏩᎫᏔᏅᏒ ᎠᎴ ᎤᏩᎫᏗᏗᏒ
ᎠᎴᏂᏙᎠᏎ ᏃᏊᎯᏓ ᎭᏫᎾ,
ᎠᎴ ᏗᏙᎳᎦᏎ ᎠᏓᏌᎳᏙᏗ.
ᎠᏯ Ꮭ ᏰᎵᏆᏎ ᎠᏓᏙᎵᏍᏗ ᎾᏍᎦᏅᎾᏁ
ᎠᎴ Ꮭ ᎠᏲᏍᏙᏗ ᏌᏊ ᎠᏍᎦᏅᏨᏁ,
ᎠᏎᏃ ᎠᏯ ᏰᎵᏆᏎ ᎠᏓᏅᏖᎢ
ᎯᎠ ᎭᏫᎾᏗᏢ-ᎦᎾᎬᎠᏁᏖ
ᏗᏙᎳᏘ-ᏗᎧᏁᏗᏁ.

Text and image © 2019 by Donald C. Traxler

Naked Wisdom 58

ᏂᎦᏛ Ꮎ ᎠᎴᏂᏙᎠᏎ, ᎠᏓᏅᏌᏎ.
ᎤᏩᏌ Ꮎ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᎤᏲᎱᏒ Ꮭ ᎠᏓᏅᏌᏎ.
ᎢᏳᏃ ᏂᎯ ᎤᏬᎯᏳᏒᏗ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᎬᏃᏛ,
ᎾᏍᎩᏛ ᏰᎵᏆᏎ ᎢᏴᎢ;
ᎢᏳᏃ ᎾᏍᎩᏛ Ꮭ ᏰᎵᏆᏎ ᎢᏴᎢ,
ᎾᏍᎩᏛ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᏄᎵᏍᎨᏗᏴᎾ.

Everything that lives, moves.
Only what is dead does not move.
If your beliefs are alive, they can change;
if they cannot change,
they are useless.

Text and image © 2019 by Donald C. Traxler

ᎤᏰᎸᎭ ᎠᎦᏙᎲᏍᏗ 58

ᏂᎦᏛ Ꮎ ᎠᎴᏂᏙᎠᏎ, ᎠᏓᏅᏌᏎ.
ᎤᏩᏌ Ꮎ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᎤᏲᎱᏒ Ꮭ ᎠᏓᏅᏌᏎ.
ᎢᏳᏃ ᏂᎯ ᎤᏬᎯᏳᏒᏗ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᎬᏃᏛ,
ᎾᏍᎩᏛ ᏰᎵᏆᏎ ᎢᏴᎢ;
ᎢᏳᏃ ᎾᏍᎩᏛ Ꮭ ᏰᎵᏆᏎ ᎢᏴᎢ,
ᎾᏍᎩᏛ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᏄᎵᏍᎨᏗᏴᎾ.

The Nursery / ᏗᎦᏘᏗᏍᏗ-ᏗᏂᏲᏟ

In the nursery there are birds
and butterflies,
animals of every kind,
and a big box of toys.
We can be happy,
girls and boys,
if we survive
the nursery.

We shall live long lives
if the nursery
survives us.

ᏗᎦᏘᏗᏍᏗ-ᏗᏂᏲᏟ ᎭᏫᎾ
ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᏥᏍᏆᏗ ᎠᎴ ᎧᎹᎹᏗ,
ᏂᎦᏛ ᎤᏍᏗ ᎦᎾᏝᎢᏗ,
ᎠᎴ ᎡᏆ ᎧᏁᏌᎢ ᏗᏁᎸᏙᏗ.
ᎢᏧᎳ ᏰᎵᏆᏎ ᎨᏒᎢ ᎠᎵᎮᎵᏍᏗ,
ᎠᎨᏳᏣᏗ ᎠᎴ ᎠᏧᏣᏗ,
ᎢᏳᏃ ᎢᏧᎳ ᎬᎵᏱᎵᏐᏎ-ᎠᎴᏂᏙᎢ
ᏗᎦᏘᏗᏍᏗ-ᏗᏂᏲᏟ ᎤᎶᏐᏅ.

ᎢᏧᎳ ᎠᎴᏂᏙᎣᏎ ᎦᏅᎯᏓ ᎥᎴᏂᏙᎲᏗᏁ
ᎢᏳᏃ ᏗᎦᏘᏗᏍᏗ-ᏗᏂᏲᏟ
ᎬᎵᏱᎵᏐᏎ-ᎠᎴᏂᏙᎢ
ᎢᏧᎸ ᎤᎶᏐᏅ.

Text © 2019 by Donald C. Traxler.

The Range of Light / ᎠᏍᏓᏅᏅ ᎤᎸᏌᏓ ᎥᎿᎢ

The range of light
is the range of night,
from sleep
to lucid clarity.
From those extremes
is born the way
that leads us to
another day.

ᎠᏍᏓᏅᏅ ᎤᎸᏌᏓ ᎥᎿᎢ
ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᎠᏍᏓᏅᏅ ᏑᏃᏱ ᎥᎿᎢ,
ᎦᎸᏙ ᏂᏛᎴᏅᏓ
ᏧᎸᏌᏓ ᏧᎸᏌᏙ ᏗᏜ.
ᎾᏍᎩ ᎦᎶᏒᏍᏔᏃᏗ ᏂᏛᎴᏅᏓ
ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᎤᏕᏂᏔ ᏅᏃᎯ
Ꮎ ᏓᏘᎾᏎ ᎢᏧᎸ
ᏄᏓᎴ ᎢᎦ ᏗᏜ.

Text and image © 2019 by Donald C. Traxler

Happy Birthday, My Friend / ᎠᎵᎮᎵᏍᏗ ᎤᏕᏘᏱᏍᎬ, ᎠᏆ ᎤᎾᎵ

Happy birthday, my friend.

I knew you before you were twenty,
and now you would be seventy-three.

I missed
the best part,
and so did you.

I will look for you
in the Summerland.

 ᎠᎵᎮᎵᏍᏗ ᎤᏕᏘᏱᏍᎬ, ᎠᏆ ᎤᎾᎵ.

ᎠᏯ ᎤᏅᏘᏎ ᏂᎯᏁ ᎤᏓᎷᎸ ᏂᎯ
ᎤᎯᏎ ᏔᎳᏍᎪᎯ ᏧᏕᏘᏴᏓ,
ᎠᎴ ᏃᏊ ᏂᎯ ᎤᎱᏎ
ᎦᎵᏆᏍᎪᎯ-ᏦᎢ.

ᎠᏯ ᎦᏅᏗᎢᏎ ᎣᎯᏍᏗ ᎢᎦᏛᏁ,
ᎠᎴ ᏂᎯ ᎦᏅᏗᎢᏎ ᎾᏍᏋ.

ᎠᏯ ᎠᏯᏍᏙᏎ ᏂᎯᏁ
ᎪᎩ-ᎡᎶᎯ ᎭᏫᎾ.

Text and image © 2019 by Donald C. Traxler