Buffalo Spirit
He journeys
Where the greening grows highest
From East to West
And North to South
He pursues
What passes beneath his feet
Head to the ground
He rambles into the hills
His is like the thunder
That you hear
Long before seeing his flash
So big
So strong
He drinks into the darkness
And yet
Is startled by the slightest
And the least
He was ALL to all
His was the warmth in the winter
The shelter, the bed, the thread and the needle
For the home, the dream, and the mend
His was the warmth of the feet
And the fullness of the belly
From him spirits were conjured in prayers
In rattles and drums
He was the reason for songs
He was the headdress topping the dance
The rope and the spoon of the pull and the stir
He was in the splint, the belt and the shield
For the oneness, the bind and the protection
He was in all
That the physical and spiritual
Intellectual and emotional could achieve
That survives the four ages of man
With each leg he stands on
But losing one leg each age
And one hair each year
It is said
That once his hair and legs are gone
And the water returns to cover the earth
The Sacred Hoop will end
But he personifies the universe
And the four directions
And from the very beginning
He was put in the West
To hold back the waters
When Waken Tanka
Created the world
And he will be the last
As prophesied
By White Buffalo Calf Woman
He is part of White Buffalo Calf Woman
Who brought the pipe and keeps alive
That which has passed through
So many breaths of life
As Buffalo Spirit
The Sacred Hoop of Life
He teaches
To stay grounded
As you pursue
Your green life
Wherever it takes you
To be big
And strong
And be heard
To make a thunder before your flash
In your life
That all that you need is within you
But be generous with your universe
Helping others along the way
Give some of your warmth,
Your home, your dream, your mend,
Your fullness, your prayers, your song,
Your dance, your oneness, your bind,
Your protection
As you amble along your four ages of life
So others that struggle and hope and dream
Can survive
LauraLee K. Harris
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