In the winter of 1804-5, the American Corps of Discovery led by Merriweather Lewis and William Clark stayed at the Native American Mandan villages on the Missouri River.
An unimaginable cold
gripped the land
but inside the rough houses
there was a warmth
that could melt the coldest heart.
Two peoples becoming one.
One whose ancestors trekked west
over endless steppes and mighty rivers.
One who had gone east and
paddled down a rocky, icy coast.
Dancing for each other
to the sound of a one-eyed fiddler
or reciting ancient rites.
Sharing the joy of being
one people sharing a common bond
expressed in delightful diversity.
A glimpse of a road less well travelled.
A straighter road, a smoother road, a better road.
Peter Sagar
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