I HAVE NOTHING

I have nothing
And sit here waiting
Something will come into my mind
It always does
I look at a maple leaf that has been preserved
The number of colors I see is about sixteen
I think of the old song:
  You were sixteen
  My Village queen
  Down by the old mill stream
A great tune from yesteryear
 
I think of the number again
And of the different colors
Think about the masses of people
A random shot of them produces
At least sixteen ethnic groups
All of which make up who we are
The collected masses are amazing
We hear the word average
Line up sixteen people from any career
Let’s make them female teachers
Tall, short, stout, thin, long-legged
Long torsos, various hair styles and so on
How can anyone define average?
 
No one knows all the tribes of Indians
Even the number of tribes is ambiguous
Hundreds, even thousands could be the answer
Different ways of life, many similar, but no two alike
The majority of us know that there are Indians
Many know they have lost money in their casinos
They offer good food and beverage
They are courteous and welcoming
They have Pow-Wows every summer
Everyone is invited and encouraged to attend
The Indians know a little about their history
We know a little bit of the history also
Very few, if any, know the whole complex story
It’s an interesting collection of tales
 
Stanski
April 14, 2020 ^