****a Red Indian Legend: The Dream Catcher! Poem by RAJ NANDY

A RED INDIAN LEGEND: -
“THE DREAM CATCHER! ”
(I)
The continent of North America during those
ancient times,
Were inhabited by various Red Indian tribes.
The Delawares, the Mohawks, the Choctaws,
The Dacotahs, the Omahas, the Blackeet,
The Camanches, the Ojibways and the Apaches!
They inhabited the forest, the prairies, the marsh
lands,
The great lakes, the mountains and the fen-lands!
They lived close to nature and honored their Gods,
With the spirit of Nature all thing were fraught!
If we recall the story of MacKenna’s Gold,
The ‘Shaking Rock’ and ‘Canyon del Oro’;
Of human greed, - breeding death and sorrow!
Which in celluloid has often been told,
None could take away that Apache gold!
(II)
Today I narrate a legend of the Chippawa tribe,
Of their ‘magical net’ for a peaceful night!
An old medicine man of this tribe,
Wove a magical net with gossamer strings,
To catch the dreams as they float by!
He hung this net above the bed up high, -
To catch the dreams as they float by!
This wondrous net trapped all bad dreams,
Letting the good ones pass through its netted
seams!
And as the bad dreams got entangled in the net,
The good ones descended upon the sleeping bed!
So should you come across this magical net,
Never argue about its price, -
Just buy the one of your bed size!
Then hang the net high above your bed,
For there is nothing to be afraid!
Since dreams shall never ever cease,
Have sweet dreams always, with a good
night’s sleep!
-Raj Nandy
New Delhi
23 Nov 09
** Dedicated to our poet friend Ms Mamta Aggarwal!