The Words of the Earth

"Thank you" in Yupik.

The Words of Earth

when the words of the earth
fail to move the tongues
of those meant to speak
we lose more than language

when the words of the earth
fail to reach the ears
of those meant to hear
we lose more than a culture

when the words of the earth
fail to reach the hearts
of those meant to know
we lose our souls



[Poem #21 --- the morning after the Alaska Legislature finally recognized our State's incredible REAL wealth, the rich native languages of the land.]