The Drum

The drum
It is our heartbeat
The rhythm of our walk feet
It is the contractions of our mother’s womb
It is the in and out of our breath
That began then and continues until our death
When those with us will listen for the last one
And hold their own for just a second
Before they breathe again to live on
The drum
It is the running of the feet of children
It is the rum rum rum of the spinning wheel
The crack crack crack of the pounding of grain into flour
It is the kneading of bread, the crick crick crick of the warming oven
The chewing of happy family
The drum
Is the ocean wave crash crash crashing
Or river waves gently splash splash splashing
It is the prairie grass swish swish swish in the wind
And the tree branch woo woo woo
The bumble of the June bug against the screen bat bat bat
It is the rain pit pit pit, pit pit pit, pit pit pit outside the window
Or splat splat splat on our bare arms
The drum
It is the walk walk walking to the lake’s shore
And the pad pause pad pause paddling of the canoe
It is the beat of the wings of ducks as they take flight
The scrape scrape scrape of harvesting wild rice into the canoe bottom
And the reach pull drop reach pull drop of gathering berries
The drum
It is the rhythm of life
The drum
It is the rhythm of earth
The drum
It is the rhythm of us.