Misty Morning

all played out from a weekend
of treaty walking
calling lakes

i lay in bed

warm beneath the covers

minus two outside

says the woman on the radio

i don't eat breakfast
or drink any water
before stepping down the coulee
into the damp fog
my mind misty like the morning
sleepy beauty

at school our students
prepare for the treaty four game show
i write on the whiteboard
mira makes flashcards on the smartboard
her kids use fly swatters to signal they know
treaty four is also called the qu'appelle treaty
between crown, first nations and creator
signed september 15, 1874
138 years ago
and some kids can pronounce the names of thirteen chiefs much better than me
as long as the sun shines, the grass grows, the river flows
three crown signators with names i can read easily
to live together on the land, to get along, to make a living
treaty is a living document

welcome to treaty four territory
province of saskatchewan
british commonwealth
country of canada