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Home  »  Poetry: A Magazine of Verse  »  Lew Sarett

Harriet Monroe, ed. (1860–1936). The New Poetry: An Anthology. 1917.

Little Caribou Makes Big Talk

Lew Sarett

From “Council Talks”

BOO-SHOO! Boo-shoo!

Me, Ah’-dek-koons, I mak’-um big talk. Ho!

Me, ol’ man; I’m got-um sick in knee

In rainy wedder w’en I’m walk. Ugh!

Me, lak moose w’at’s ol’,

I’m drop-um plenty toot’!

Yet I am big man! Ho!

An’ I am talk big! Ho!

Hi-yee! Blow lak moose ol’ man!

Ho!

Ho!

Hi-yi! Little Caribou him talk

Lak O’-mah-ka-kee dose Bullfrog;

Big mout’, big belly,

No can fight!

Ugh! Close mout’, young crazy buck!

You stop council-talk,

You go ’way council;

Sit wit’ squaw.

You lak pollywog tad-pole:

No can jump-um over little piece mud;

Can only shake-um tail lak crazy-dam-fool!

Keetch’-ie O’-gi-ma’, big Presh-i-den’,

He got-um plenty t’oughts in head, good t’oughts;

Me, Little Caribou,

I’m got-um plenty t’oughts in head, good t’oughts.

Yet Eenshun Agent Myers all-tam’ saying:

“Ah’-dek-koons he crazy ol’ fool!”

Ugh! He crazy ol’ fool!

Keetch’-ie O’-gi-ma’ long tam’ ago was say in treaty:

“All de Cheebway should be farmer;

All will get from gov’ment fine allotment—

One hondred-sixty acre each.” Ho!

Ho! Eenshun scratch-um treaty!

Stick-um t’umb on treaty!

W’at’s come treaty? Hah!

Eenshun got-um hondred-sixty acre,

But got-um too much little pieces;

Pieces scattered over lake

Lak leaves she’s blow by wind.

In tamarack swamp by Moose-tail Bay

He got-um forty acre piece.

In muskeg and in rice-field,

On Lake of Cut-foot Sioux, ten mile away,

He got-um forty acre more.

In sand an’ pickerel weed,

On Bowstring Lake, she’s forty mile away,

He got-um forty acre more.

Hondred mile away, on Lac La Croix,

W’ere lumber-man is mak’ big dam

For drive-um log—an’ back-um up water

All over Eenshun allotment land—

He got-um forty acre more, all under lake!

How can be?

Got-um land all over lake!

Got-um land all under lake!

For Eenshun be good farmer

Eenshun should be good for walking under water!

Should be plough hees land wit’ clam-drag!

Should be gadder crops with’ fish-net!

For Eenshun be good farmer

Eenshun should be fish!

Ugh!

I have said it!

Ho!

Hi! Plenty-big talk!

Ho! Ho! Ho!