This verse was my visceral response to being at the site referenced in it. It’s not my greatest verse, but the image and the impact stay with me.
December 29, 1890 (July 30, 2001)
The wind is the first thing; that,
And the silence. Dry land, brown bent grasses,
Blue sky.
In the valley, where the tents were,
Where the children were,
There are dreamcatchers for sale.
On the hill, against the carven stone,
A buffalo skull and flowers lie
Beside rolled tobacco and a teddy bear.
What dreams are caught at Wounded Knee?
marianlthorpe.com 