The Inuit Cycle

What began as little poems for the Canadian far north has become a twelve poem cycle celebrating the Inuit and the north.

Hunting Seal

 

Hunting seal

Is like words

Many words miss

Scare the hunt

Only the kill shot

Is any good.

 

Walrus

 

Other men come

Say walrus is great

Inuit agree

We kill walrus

We eat walrus

For many days

We make charms

From his tusks

We heap his bones

Yes, walrus is great.

 

Inukshuk

 

I make Inkushuk

No wind blows him down

No heart to bleed

No progeny to feed

He goes nowhere

I can cum again

But he cannot.

 

White Bear

 

White Bear

Is a match

For any man

The seal he eats

Men he beats

Only a fool

Takes a spear

When he has a rifle.

 

Dogs

 

Dogs run and bark

They pull the sled

Take Inuit

Take our goods

On long journeys

We see other people

We feed them

They run and bark.

 

Blackfly

 

Blackfly fills the sky

They only fly in summer

They are many

Inuit are few

I don't know why

I take a long time to die

Maybe because

They are many

And Inuit are few.

 

Kayak

 

I guide the kayak

Between the ice

Light plays tricks

Wind makes waves

I hunt seal

I travel far

I guide the kayak

Between the ice

I travel far.

 

Narwal

 

Narwal is free

The land

Does not hold him

He is fast

He is strong

He is hard to catch

So, Narwal is free.

 

Harpoon

 

The hunt is hard

The chase is long

Stab with the harpoon

It takes strength

The aim must be good

The feet solid

The hunt is hard

The chase is long.

 

Igloo

 

Inuit make igloo

From the cold

It is everywhere

The wind can not enter

Inside we have light

We eat, we talk

We make gear

We make clothing

Inside igloo Inuit increase

Outside it is empty.

 

Mukaluks

 

Mukaluks guard the feet

Keep them clean

Good for the stones

Good for the snow

Good for the dance

Mukaluks make Inuit glad.

 

Drum

 

Drum is like the heart

Something to pound

It talks to men

It talks to wives

It talks to children

It makes the unseen, seen

It talks to the seasons

It talks to the sea

It talks to the land

Drum is like the heart.