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On the Mahicannituck–the Hudson River
by Paulette Demers Turco
–Farm in Red Hook, NY ~ photo by Sharmagne Leland-St. John
Crimson clings to branches of each tree;
the well-fed angus dot the fresh snow sheen;
a giant farmhouse hugs the sloping hill
and freshly painted pristine barns can fill
a heart with longing for tranquility
presented in this farmstead winter scene.
Hidden is a complex history
of when the native tribes were coaxed to leave,
after treaties, not meant to deceive,
were signed in trust–some facts still mystery.
The Mohican, Munsee, Lenape
native people, here a thousand years
before, beside the Mahicannituck,
believed that this new village named Red Hook,
as all the earth, was made in harmony–
for all beings to share, as all are heirs.
Their creator Kishelëmukòng,
consulted by the elders, kept them strong.
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