Damned River:
Sally Lei

Once free to gently stream by
now trapped in the clutches of humans

I want to be free
and run with the cool morning breeze

I want to see my lovely tree neighbors
and know that they are all well

I miss being able to swim low
and splash lively with the salmon

Each night, I pray for that day to come back

Sitting quietly by a tall prison gate, I wait

Ahwahneechee Acorn Meal Mush:
Charles B. Torneros

Sitting on this fallen log,
I see my mother mushing acorns
a butterfly flutters across my face

Wherever I go I hear the sounds of
rushing water and wind playing in trees

My friends and I explore new places every day
but no matter how much we look
we can never see it all

I feel like jumping off Nevada Falls
and turning into one of the raptors I see
scanning the cliffs

And then, into a fish in the raging river
fighting the currents

But always coming back to eat my mother's
acorn meal mush