THE WOMEN OF THE WATER PEOPLE
The women of the water people give barley bread to the horse
grains of bird food to the man who opened the cage
then bury him at the foot of the yew tree
let him die if that’s the wish of the bird who flew off unreflecting
the widow knows how to make him more supple to slip him into the earth
without breaking his bones
the water people bury their dead behind the waterfall
their voices are carried by the noisy water
they owe nothing to anyone
only the water that strides along knows how to wash away suffering, they say
Asking advice of the empathy tree is only good for the dead, they say up therevultures’ flight read backwards announces consolation and prosperitythe man whose wealth is seven spades will bury hisdecaying harvest in the same holewalking on the hill ridge earns him the wolf’s esteemtheir arguments are fraternalskin sweat pantingtheir knowledge left to the plains-dwellersfor lack of a book they read the insides of stones
