What the Tipi Knows

The sun lowers its voice.
Grass answers by standing.

The animal stays close.
Not owned.
Not afraid.

Inside the lodge,
breath gathers
like a remembered song.

Ancestors are not gone.
They hold the shape of shelter.
They teach us
how to remain.

Protection is quiet care.
Strength is the choice
to stay gentle.

Freedom is learned here—
between earth and doorway—
where nothing is taken,
and all is returned.

Native intellect