Star Stories: writings from the land of Sturgeon and Marten

Acrylic on canvas "An Evening Reflection on the Lake." See details of the painting.

Boozhoo, biindigen, greetings, welcome to the Fisher Star Creations poetry page!

Zhaawano’s poems are a genre in themselves. Shined upon by the blessing light of the Fisher Star constellation that sparkles in the northern night sky his writings, while breathing the ancient worldview of his Anishinaabe ancestors, are explicitly placed in the present, their subject matter always profoundly personal.

His poetry, like his stories, show his deeply rooted love for the culture and language of his ancestors. His voice is like the voice of Waabizheshi, the Marten; his writing-style simple, bold, and fierce, vigorous but always gentle, reflecting a transcedental and metaphorical nature. 

His poetry celebrates life, and, particularly, his love for the woman who became his best friend, lover, and muse. Once upon a time he traveled far to meet her, wounded by past heart-aches but still believing that good things come to us, eventually. And there she was! Possessing the soul of a sturgeon and the heart of a bear and soaring on eagle wings of courage she forever stole his heart, mending it, healing it in ways he had never thought possible.

LOVE POEMS

The observations that Zhaawano expresses through his love poems voice his heart and soul in a unique way, soft-spoken yet intense. Sometimes filled with doubt and sometimes filled with longing, but always with such eagerness and lust for life that each poem or story seems an unfiltered snapshot in time, the very essence of what he goes through in the here and now. In his hands, words become blistering, powerful sturgeons that rise out of the deep waters of the lake. Here, they become eagle spirits climbing swiftly and powerfully, causing the reader to become swept away in a swirling dream. Click the below links and thumbnails and read a small selection of Zhaawano's love poetry. Enter the poetic dream world of the marten and the sturgeon. Hear their voices...

~~ OUR DREAMS ~~

When our minds are hungry
and our visions go far
our dreams
that which we feed into our minds
must come to rest
in our hearts.

_______________________________

Illustration: Morning Prayer © Zhaawano Giizhik

~~ OGINII WAABIGWAN (A MOLUCCAN ROSE) ~~

A woman, lovely and with the grace of a 🌹
Her scent of sweetness drawing me close

Her colors so lively warm and bright
Radiating throughout the day and the night

An artist’s eye shining with great unselfish love
Natural beauty combined in all of the above

Una bellezza naturale, a taste of great art
Lifting heavy blankets from my battered heart

A million smiles chase away my frown
Reminding me life's too precious to be down

Your calm grace is medicine, so near and so dear
Oginii-waabigwan, Mawar Maluku, I now see you clear

Aku cinta kepadamu, I love you.

©2019 Zhaawano Giizhik

~~ ECLIPSE (THEY DANCED TOGETHER) ~~

I had a dream of
The sun and the moon
Lovers
Their paths seldom crossed
Longing, missing
Chasing, circling.
One starlit day
They did catch up
They danced together
They danced together
The Universe gazed in awe
Of their eclipse.

_________

(Free after Word Porn)

©2019 Zhaawano Giizhik