John Sinclair

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Two Prayers
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To Nkonde came
the devout
to implant their demands
with nails in torso,
wodden flesh of neck & upper arms--
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those wishes most fervently desired
were tied with string
to the head of the nail
& driven home--
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The faithful spoke
direct to the belly of Nkonde
thru the conch shell em-
bedded there, immediate opening
to the spirit world--
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Nkonde, erect,
ancient power figure,
vessel of the ancestors,
eyes white as river bottom clay--
mmmnO Nkonde! l Help us!
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--after Prof. Robert Farris Thompson
Detroit Institute of Arts
August 20, 1977
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Michigan was trees
endless lakes & rivers
but the trees were everywhere
until the white men came--
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millions upon millions of board feet
ripped from Michigan trees
built the houses of the Great Plains
& the white possessed the whole land--
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Goodbye White Pines!
May your spirits
ever guide us
mmmnuntil your return
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--at the Lumbermen's Monument
Oscoda, Michigan
August 25, 1977
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