From the shores of Lake
Superior
To tap shoes on top of a
bar
She’s lifted up to the bar
by men
What goes through her mind
Downward glances through
eyeglasses
Holding in that which
makes no sense
To save the dancer
She must create her own world
She walks the space
between
Between being Native and being alive
Between a young girl and a
woman
Between a mother and
grandmother
The known and the unknown
Are before her setting
stage
For the life of her
choosing
Although not her own
Saving the dance steps
As if recorded memories
The oral tradition is up
held
With the comforting melody
from her tap shoes
She continues up and down the bar
The comforting sounds from
her shoes
Hold tenure to her life
Creating permanency
Downward glances through
eyeglasses
Holding in that which
makes no sense
To save the dancer
She must free her world
And return to the shores
of Lake Superior
