Log In or Register
Though an insatiable glutton and perpetual trickster, Raven is the most prominent character in Northwest Indian tales. A shapechanger and "spirit being," Raven could take any form, though he usually was either in "human" or "bird" form. Considered the creator, he found the first people in a giant clamshell and became their teacher and protector. Raven is often shown with the sun disk in his straight beak, for he placed the stars, moon and sun in the sky. One of the main family crests, Raven tops the Seattle Totem pole.
`````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Flight of the Raven
at dawn
on a long lonely stretch
of road
near a river
called Clearwater
I've waited for the
sun to rise
I want to meet him
watch him fly
see his power
speak we shall not
but he shall soar
above the river
he searches
then we shall sit
in shadows of pines
he becomes
almost unseen
in blackness
as pitch as he is
and the moon looks on
while the river tumbles
and the night time falls
he will leave without a sound
gliding so gently
over the road ahead of me
as tho showing me the way
so I may not lose myself
and he shall be free
to go on his journey
just as I go on mine
his world awaits him
high above my own
the nights coolness
calls me to sleep
as I see him gliding
into the night shadows
disappearing to my eyes
yet I know he is there
..........he is free
by Verena
Spring 1998
at the Sellway River, Idaho