Poetical Practices

Mother Nature delivered a mighty winter weather punch to eastern Montana 41 years ago, and the deep snows and cold temperatures seemed to go on forever. Hungry Horse News founder, Mel Ruder, went to the Blackfeet Reservation in mid March, visiting his friend and unique Heart Butte columnist, John Tatsey. Mel took pictures, of course, and returned with a story of suffering and hardship being stoically endured by the Blackfeet … through an unusually bad winter.

I can’t remember exactly my mood after reading that long ago paper, but I went down to my den, took out a pencil and tablet, and wrote this:

CHINOOK

Chinook … blow from the western slopes. Warm Wind … come now … down the late shadow side.

This moon’s born calves, on Badger Hills find no hope in deep rotting snow you could melt.

Chinook … blow from the cold setting sun. The winter’s too long … laughing at you.

And the wild ones … even mustangs … are past caring. Where green grass first grows, when you come.

Chinook … we wait for you in spring, But our stove wood … waits no more.

It is drifted smoke … gone like our bull elk meat, whose fawns die now in their mother’s wombs.

Chinook … drive ice drifts to Hudson Bay. Dry wind … why wait for summer to do your work?

Spring is your rider … bring us the spring. Our children must find … things lost in autumn.

Chinook … you are the finder of promise … gifts … we know are buried.

Beneath deep drifted graves … carved by the North winds, these many moons.

Chinook … we wait now in longer days, and those grow short … that we can wait … for you.

Well! That’s it. I don’t know if what I wrote over 40 years ago is a real poem. My kids think it is, but of course they are prejudiced. If it is a poem … is it any good? My kids think it is. Maybe I’ll ask someone in college. Most of the time when trying “pomes” I made something rhyme.

To illustrate an obvious love for straight honest old poetry, here are three limericks written in 1986.

LLAMA LIMERICKS

FROM PERU COME MARIJUANAS AND LLAMAS

THE PICK OF ITS FLORAS AND FAUNAS

THERE’S BIG MONEY IN GRASS, BUT YOU CAN BET YOUR CASH

THAT IT’S SAFER TO RAISE MAMMA LLAMAS

THERE WAS AN OLD MAN FROM YOLAHAMA,

WHO BOUGHT A VORACIOUS YOUNG LLAMA-

IT GOT FAT ON BROWN RICE AND SQUID HIGHLY SPICED

BUT ALWAYS REFUSED FRIED BANANA.

WE HEARD OF A MAN FRON CA-RA-MAS

WHO TAUGHT READING AND WRITING TO LLAMAS-

THEY LEARNED HOW TO SPELL, TOOK DICTATION QUITE WELL

BUT LEFT OUT THE PERIODS AND COMMAS.

Just remembered! This Thursday is Thanksgiving. The Ostroms wish each and every one of you will have a fine Holiday with good eats and warm companions to share the blessings of living in America. To end this column, let us quote a man who shared our love of freedom, Winston Churchill,

“I AM AN OPTIMIST. IT DOES NOT SEEM TOO MUCH USE BEING ANYTHING ELSE.”

G. George Ostrom is a Kalispell resident and a national award-winning Hungry Horse News columnist.