I did not cry when I walked the trail of tears.

I cried when my son cried 

Because he did not know 

Who he was or where he had come from.

Our people used to know these things deeply,

No matter where it was that we were born.

But the great walking 

And the great sorrow of all the people

Pulled this faith and understanding 

From our marrow,

Cut up the knowledge we had as a people 

And gave each piece of us a separate name.

Our collective soul was divided and conquered,

And in the confusion of all the labels, 

The wholeness could not be found.

Tonight I watch the stars walk their trails across the night.

They are settled and on their paths.

May all of us find peace.

May all of us find the wholesome wholeness,

The happiness that exists because 

There is nothing the cosmos can’t fix.

-jenn