Wednesday, October 29, 2008

stones singing










bottom line is this...if you keep your eyes and ears open you will see the most astounding beauty and hear the most profound stories!!!!! and here's one, on our way to celilo and on to the Big Place of Bright Lights and Beautiful Songs (PDX) there are so many stories...one such story starts like this:

long ago when the stones were light and walked around like we humans do today they dressed themselves in sunsets and rainbows, with spray from the dancing waterfalls along the columbia gorge; the stone women sang strong songs that wove from colors in the sunset huckleberries and fruit like you've never tasted before. at night they would hum gentle songs to the baby stones and from these lullabies came warm bread from pounded grass flour...
even the young stones had their chores and they would laugh joyously bounding from hilltop to hilltop gathering dew from the juniper trees to make tea for their grandmas and clover tea for their baby brothers and sisters.
the men would stride about with their important business and they roamed about from far south into the icy north gathering woods and animals and plants for the future world for as all stones know, change happens and time passes - they would not be singing forever...
mama stone sat singing along the columbia river...auntie columbia hummed happily along below her and they harmonized with such beautiful songs that many busy with projects stopped to listen...the young stones gathered around her and she sang more songs - joyful songs weaving together such trees as apples, juicy and colorful. pears grew with these two singing and also cornfields sprouted up...as the singing continued the valley began a dance and two large mountains squatted down to listen...Mount Hood remains still as she listens intently...you can see her, she proudly flaunts lacy snow shawls and holds her head high with her garland of fog...
mama stone had found her song and she gathered the children close so they'd learn...
as spoken by elders from long ago in the mist, the days of their freedom was passing...the stones felt themselves growing stiff with the cold and they smiled at each other with strength for all knew the time would soon come when the expression they wore would be the one seen for all time...auntie columbia continued the song for she was grateful forever to mama stone for singing...
the sun rose that day and all was silent for a moment...but when you drive down the freeway, pause to give respect - she sits on the side by the river, her children gathered around; if you listen you can hear echoes of her song and you will find wisdom in her stories...
but if you just keep driving of course you'll still get where you're going...




1 comment:

JOY said...

this is the most wonderful wonderfulness. clover tea! today we road up the mountain and i saw an auntie covered in snow. i could see you standing by her looking at the rocks, dressed in your dressiest, but maybe with some warmness on too. :)

i thought how sad it was that everyone was just driving by and maybe they didn't even look out the window to see the small ripples of water as they met the snow bank. but then maybe we are extra lucky that we notice these things and they are for us to see.