An Indian Poem (written by a mexican half-breed not of a horse culture)

This poem is for Valerie
And her darling baby brother Jamie
Whom my sister and I had baby sat for
Their father Bill
Who was my father�s best friend-
And then my mother�s best friend
When my parent�s divorced-
And my sister and I watched the children
As their parents divorced.

This is a poem for Valerie
And her darling baby brother Jamie
Who was always a big baby
And heavy to carry even as an infant
And who has grown.
Now not more than twelve
And still almost as tall as me
And maybe even as heavy.

This is a poem for Valerie
And her baby brother Jamie
And the turmoil that they
Didn�t even realize that they
Endured at the time that
I think back to.

This is for Val,
Little Val who
Practiced dancing
In her full dress
For the annual
Powwow and
Did so always
With a serious
Look on her face.

And this is for
The memory of
The rain
That she brought
Down on the tourists
That gathered
On that hot
Cloudless day
In Hayward.

I don�t ever remember
Asking her when she
Would dance for us
While her parents were away
If she was only practicing,
But I think she would have told
Us that she was not practicing.
She was dancing.
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