More Beautiful Than Flowers

I am reading a volume of poetry, Voices of the Rainbow - Contemporary Poetry by Native Americans, and ran across a poet in this anthology that upon reading his Anishinabe Grandmothers, I was grateful for his ability to reach inside. His name is Gerald Vizenor. Reading this poem of his caused me to reflect on how the wisdom and strength of grandmothers in any culture are such a necessary part of generating hope for the future through their interaction with their grandchildren and community. It touched my heart to think of Native American grandmothers instilling hope even though they were sure to have experienced many trials in their own lives. It's a beautiful poem.
I hope that you will enjoy this as much as I did.




ANISHINABE GRANDMOTHERS

anishinabe grandmothers
swelling like sweet clover on the dancing fields

stomachs swaying
print dresses smiling on the wind

tribal dream songs
coming from the past without teeth
more beautiful than flowers

dream children touching the earth again
with gnarled fingers

the scars of reservation life
turning under with age

the sacred earth remembers
every flower

grandchildren following
clumsy and clover stained
tasting the rain
singing
the world will change

The poet - http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/gerald-vizenor

The culture - http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Introduction_to_Anishinabe_Culture_and_History/A_Brief_History