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An Irish American Mississippi Choctaw climbs the stairs
Of a battered river tugboat mounted
Atop a Saint Paul, Minnesota, museum
High on a bluff above the Mississippi
He stands to honor
He stands to mourn
He stands alone among the visitors
Wonders if any are native to the river-land
Below, the Minnesota has calmly
Joined the Mississippi
After traveling through Mankato
Past the land where settlers hung Dakota
Together the rivers bow their heads in shame
Slink by the Fort Snelling concentration camp
Where white soldiers
Imprisoned the people of the land
The river is long and sometimes deep
It carries storms of wind and rain
Follows ancient fissures
Of violent quakes that will come again
This river person wildly loves
The ancient Mississippi waterway
Loves his people’s lost babies and women
Loves the bloodied land
He looks further down the river
To the state of Mississippi
Where his people welcomed the white strangers
Until they took Choctaw land
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Author: LYN CRAMER
Art: Hoop in the Cloud by Wendy Red Star
Published in the 2019 Almanac
See more art and read more stories at Saint Paul Almanac
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ICYMI
Presented by Stillwater Zephyr Theatre: Ice Palace Maze Opening Day – Stillwater, MN
