Navajo Girl Poem by C. Michael Miller

The heat between them, she looks down at
her lover... that she should have a love...
a man such as him.

His dark even features... an invitation to fly.
Wingtip to wingtip... toward distant horizons,
these two eagles did soar.
This was their life to be.

Alas, it came to pass that one eagle flew
on to a brighter horizon.
Soulfully wounded, she alights
from Father Sky, to Mother Earth.
Navajo girl, running.

Her tears come from a well only she can draw from,
bitter is their taste upon her tongue...
where did her horizons go?
Navajo girl, running.

Still, this wounded eagle has courage.
It will take time...
one foot in front of the other, undaunted, tireless.
Navajo girl, running.

The Gorge sun caresses her sleek, bronzed body.
Sweet sweat glistens on hard muscles.
Navajo girl, running.

Why does she push so hard,
go so far?
What, whom is she chasing...
Navajo girl, running.

Flow. Inhale. Flow. Exhale.
She runs for him, to honor his life. She runs for herself,
to bring back meaning to her own.
Sure-footed, she glides over the ground,
devouring mile upon mile.
Navajo girl, running.

Pausing for rest at Horsetail Falls, she leans back against the cool rocks,
her strong heart echoing the beat of the world.
The beauty of the rocks runs deep, imbuing
her spirit with ancient songs of strength and renewal.
Smiling wistfully, she releases herself from the rocks.
Navajo girl, running.

In answer to her smile, from out of the sun,
comes a lone eagle, dancing in the sky.
With eyes on future horizons once again, she embraces her past.
Navajo girl, soaring.