" San Xavier del Bac, the Place of the Water and Culture ” by Bob Atkinson

" San Xavier del Bac,

the Place of the Water and Culture ”
 Written 5/2/10 11am in a sand storm on the hill overlooking 
Mission San Xavier del bac, Tucson, Arizona, U.S.A.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Xavier
Tucson, Arizona, U.S.A.

(c)2010 Bob Atkinson

it was a gift those stories told

of cultures strong way long ago

the thousand years of dreams and goals

of peoples distant from us now

this hill overlooks

this "White Dove of the Desert"

the replacement church for one burned down

by Apache raiders in sixteen-seventy
the other one was brown

now a complex of buildings

to give tourists blessings

fry bread and laughter

baked by our friends

Franciscans in their simple robes

give sermons same as long ago

our struggles now are not as hard

before, survival was the game

it is a simple thing today

to stop to eat along the way

others work and cook for us

before just living was pure luck

the ever flowing river underground

that watered many cultures here

caused Jesuits to stop and look

build on this land

write of it in their books

the irrigation system laid down

five hundred years ago

with stones paved

by labor of those who went before

and left us their children to adore

beyond you see the mountain tops

to the west is one tall rock

has sides so straight you'd think

the hand of man did some tricks

and to the north “A” Mountain lies

no question there of how its sides

were straightened by the toil of those

who lived so long, so long ago

as in the past the fields are green

forests though, aren't to be seen

as they were a hundred years ago

when the river flowed here year 'round

the winds are strong they pick up dust

that people who have gone before

at one time had between their toes

if stories could from quartz be gleaned

we would know more of their dreams
gives us strength and strong desire
when forefather's wishes 
are on our minds

how our thoughts and actions

affect the others
has meaning when we discover
we were not alone
in our quest for strength
to go on

this helps us give more consideration
politeness and consultation
to people in our daily lives

careful in our deeds and conduct
we strive for consensus broad

while being kinder to our brothers

and to others much less trouble

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