A Poem to Inspire You

I found this awesome poem in a book titled When the Rain Sings, Poems by Young Native Americans.  It was published in 1999 by Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers.  This poem is my favorite.



My Daddy Named Me A-dae  by Vena A-dae Romero


A-dae, everyone always called me.
Little, chubby A-dae
who wears her socks to her triple-folded knees.
Hulk-baby, Come Here!

Everyone held me,
pinched my cheeks, tried to make me smile.
My Daddy was my favorite,
My Daddy named me A-dae.

He had hands that wrapped around me,
folded over the embarrassment,
folded over the doctors who said I needed a diet.
I was too big for a three-year-old.

She's a Kiowa baby,
Kiowa babies are always big.
She ain't big neither, just filled with Indian Power.
She's gonna be the next Kiowa Princess, don't you know?

A-dae, they called.
A-dae, A-night.
I always stood by him,
even when the shine leaked from his eyes.
When tubes and machines grew like vines.

Coma, the same doctor said.
No, just a little nap.
He hasn't responded for weeks.
No, dreaming is hard to break from.

He forgot how to make his tongue alive,
how to make his mouth grow,
how to make creatures push from his throat.
He remembered A-dae.

I said I love you, Daddy,
He shook his hand like he held a rattle.
A-dae.  A-hope.
He whispered (through his skin),
Never drink like me, A-dae.

My daddy was my favorite,
especially when he said, A-dae, my Kiowa Princess!

My initial response after I read 2-3x and copied the poem long-hand:  "I really like this poem because of its opposing ideas and striking images.  I can really feel the emotion in the stanza with "I love you, Daddy."  Very good.  Very powerful."