In the moonlight quiet of a winter night
as I pass by her bedroom door
nindaaniss Waawaashkeshiikwesens
my daughter the deer girl
springs from her bed.
From the distant dark forest of her sleep
she totters to my arms,
her wide dark eyes asking, “What? Wegonen?”
and I carefully lead her back to her bed.
“My girl, shh, ssh, nibaan, nibaan,
go to sleep, go back to sleep.”
Folding her slender deer legs
she nestles under the pile of blankets
I tuck around her
and her wide dark eyes close
as she returns to the distant dark forest sleep
Of the waawaashkeshiiwag.