Donald Traxler's Poetry

Wednesday, April 3, 2019

Light Is Revealing / ᎤᎸᏌᏓ ᎠᎦᏚᏕᏍᏓᏎ

Light is revealing.

ᎤᎸᏌᏓ ᎠᎦᏚᏕᏍᏓᏎ.

On His Terms

On his terms he meets the world,
and waits expectantly.
What was, is,
and what truly is,
will be.

'Tis a hundred and thirty-five years
since the loss of ship and blade,
and more since the knife was made.
The hoary incrustation
on handle and sheath,
rock-like, full of shells,
bespeaks great age.
But still, though beyond the span
of a human life,
the age of the knife
is only double mine.

The sheath still carries the smell
of engine-room oil,
the owner's toil,
bringing closer
that fateful night.

"Nothing," says the Gainford blade,
"lasts like steel."

Nothing lasts like the smell
of oil and fear.

Nothing lasts
like sun and wind,
and sea,
and sea.

In Darkness or in Light / ᎤᎳᏏᎨᏦ ᎠᎴ ᎤᎸᏌᏓ ᎭᏫᎾ

In darkness or in light,
he is light.

ᎤᎳᏏᎨᏦ ᎠᎴ ᎤᎸᏌᏓ ᎭᏫᎾ,
ᎠᏨᏯᎢ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᎤᎸᏌᏓ.

Tuesday, April 2, 2019

The Skunk / ᏗᎳ

God provided the skunk
with a powerful stunk,
thus proving Her sense of humor.

ᎤᏁᎳᏅᎯ ᎠᏓᏁᎳᏁᏗᏎ ᏗᎳ
ᎤᎳᏂᎩᏛ ᎦᏩᏒᎬ ᎬᏙᏗ,
ᎯᎠ-ᎢᏴ ᎪᎯᏳᏙᏓᏁᏖ
ᎠᎨᏴ-ᎤᏤᎵ ᎤᏓᏅᏖᏗᏁ ᎤᏬᏢᏗ ᎥᎿᎢ.

He Is Older than Old / ᎠᏨᏯᎢ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᎠᎦᏴᎵᎨ ᏏᏅ ᎠᎦᏴᎵ

He is older than old,
but younger than youth,
afraid of neither,
and beyond both.

ᎠᏨᏯᎢ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᎠᎦᏴᎵᎨ ᏏᏅ ᎠᎦᏴᎵ,
ᎠᏎᏃ ᎠᏲᎵᎨ ᏏᏅ ᎠᏚᏍᎩ,
ᎠᏍᎦᎢᎲ ᎥᏝ ᎥᎿᎢ,
ᎠᎴ ᎤᏗᏗᏢ ᎢᎬᎳ.

Monday, April 1, 2019

He Lives in Light / ᎠᏨᏯᎢ ᎠᎴᏂᏙᎠᏎ ᎤᎸᏌᏓ ᎭᏫᎾ

He lives in light,
and for light,
but he is not blinded
by it.
He sees,
but in a new way.
He knows
that he is
this light
and this light
is unobstructed.

ᎠᏨᏯᎢ ᎠᎴᏂᏙᎠᏎ ᎤᎸᏌᏓ ᎭᏫᎾ,
ᎠᎴ ᎤᎸᏌᏓ ᎾᏍᎩᎭᎢ
ᎠᏎᏃ ᎠᏨᏯᎢ Ꮭ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᏗᎨᏫᏔ
ᎤᎸᏌᏓ ᎬᏙᏗ.
ᎠᏨᏯᎢ ᎪᏩᏔᏎ,
ᎠᏎᏃ ᎢᏤ ᎦᎶᎯᏍᏗ ᎭᏫᎾ.
ᎠᏨᏯᎢ ᎤᏅᏔᏎ
Ꮎ ᎠᏨᏯᎢ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ
ᎯᎠ ᎤᎸᏌᏓ
ᎠᎴ ᎯᎠ ᎤᎸᏌᏓ
ᎨᏒᎠᏎ Ꮭ-ᎢᎬᏯᏗᏟᏔ.