Dreamscape

The hour is late,

the night is long, and it is cold,

the trail is long, and it is old.

Stories kept and stories lost,

once you read a story that filled you with hope,

and read one that filled you with loss.

But it was that one about ghosts,

that you remember the most!

Who are they and from where did they come?

Are they as old as us, are they as wise, are they even the same?

Are they the truth, or are they a lie?

Why is it that the one about ghosts,

we remember the most?

Sleep this night, and many more, until you grow old and wise.

Forget those stories of fairies, gremlins, and trolls.

Close your eyes and sleep tonight.

All is filled with hope, fear of loss is far away …

But that story of ghosts,

you will fear the most!

—SASUWEH, PONCA NATION, 2020