Oscar and the Ring

 

Oscar was a man

with more than 30

generations of Native

American ancestry

alive and thriving

in him.

Oscar was a Lakota

man, a quiet and stoic

man, who had no need

to speak of his personal

history. The land, the

seasons and the four

winds provided that

for him.

Oscar was a man of

simple means who

proudly wore a familial

ruby bejeweled golden

ring as a sign of security.

During lean times it

became collateral he

pawned for cash from

the white man.

Life is a cycle not unlike

the seasons, he maintained—

During bitter times the ring

would furnish cash for his

primitive needs. In good

times the precious gem

would return to his finger

again with the promise

of warmth and sunshine

come the Spring.

            -30-

Chris Hanch 3-26-2021