A Poem Of The Kaleva District Poem by Daniel Brick

Honoring One Hundred Years of
the Independence of Finland

Tell me, Singer, those stories that
cling to your mind as vines
of blossoms and nettles cling
to an old house hiding terrible
secrets. Tell me those stories
again so I stay awake, alert and
prepared for the worst. This night
is crucial for all of us. It has
never been as easy as we imagined.
There will be a swollen river ahead
we must ford; a mountain pass will be
blocked by a family of trolls;
a battleship is being built by
our enemies; there are wolves larger
than any we have seen before. My mind
has ever been far-roving, my body ran
to keep up with it, but now both
body and mind want to return to
the Farm in the High Country where
I can watch the Great Bear and stare
into the heavens studded with stars.
So tell again the story of the pale-faced
fortune-teller and the orphan girl with
the sad eyes that should shine brighter
than the summer sun, and the tale of
the last defenders of Master Paavo's
homestead in Karelia, and the Song
of the Sampo. Then you can rest for
awhile, until tomorrow's sun ignites
the eastern sky with red fire and dispels
dark skies and portents. Then you will
sing for me one story of love and hope,
but do not tell me if it is true or false,
and I will carry it deep in my heart
all the way home to share it with our family
assembled by the hearth fire, and it will be
a holy remembrance for all seasons to come.
.