When the Canoes Returned

When the canoes returned
the men exulted over pas burned down
and grey battles coming alive
under the exultation of meres

When the canoes returned
the captives mourned for their homes
and rocked themselves to sleep
under the red stars of their agony

When the canoes returned
the women grieved for their sons
and the empty mat in the grey dawn
and put away the bone flute and the dogskin cloak

When the canoes returned
the old men counted the dead in their silence
and watched the children run
laughing into the boiling surf.

Frederick C. Parmée