what came before, grandfather?
grandfather, that feather
in your cap
where and from whom
it is stuck as pinnacle
to iconoclastic
culture, not yours
perhaps perceived
or forever ashamed
this ulnoo presence
shadowed and slain
by that axe
in your hand
not in your
heart
peace I remember
from many generations
form living memory
now settler lens
places trinkets
as noble props
and uses your
acquiescence to
fulfill settling of
land with settling
of memory debt
in language imposed
through sharp tongues
and focused film
etching our memory
with their imprint
what now, grandfather?
who can
remember what
came before?