I hope to God you will not ask
I hope to God you will not ask me to go anywhere except my own country. If we go back, we will follow whatever orders you give us. We do not want to go right or left, but straight back to our own land.
—Barboncito
I hope to God you will not ask
Me or my People to send
Postcard greetings: lamented wind
Of perfect sunrisings, golden
Yes, we may share the same sun setting
But the in-between hours are hollow
The People fill the void with prayers for help
Calling upon the Holy Ones
Those petitions penetrate and loosen
The binds you tried to tighten
Around our heart, a tension
Blocking the wind, like a shell
Fluttering inside, fluttering inside
Copyright © 2019 by Esther Belin. Originally published in Poem-a-Day on June 14, 2019, by the Academy of American Poets.
“The poem is an anagram poem using a phrase taken from Navajo headman, Barboncito, in his speech to General Sherman on May 28, 1868. As a citizen of the Navajo Nation, I am grateful to our leaders who had courage and vision to express our innate connection to our homeland, Diné bikéyah. This poem was inspired by the work of Terrance Hayes and his wonderful craft of anagram poetry.”
—Esther Belin
Esther Belin
Esther Belin, a citizen of the Navajo Nation, is the author of two collections of poetry, Of Cartography (University of Arizona Press, 2017) and From the Belly of My Beauty (University of Arizona Press, 1999), winner of the 2000 American Book Award.