by Don Thompson
Oblivion carries out its brief
against color, relentlessly
turning the past pewter or dun
so that once vivid events
come back to us insipid,
wrapped in spider silk
and sucked empty.
Yokuts memories are shards, baskets
tattered like abandoned bird nests—
grave robbers’ leavings.
But some murals must endure,
sequestered in caverns no one ever found,
unfading chalk and graphite pigments,
cinnabar and volcanic ochre yellow
imported from the Mojave—
out of the sunlight, out of sight
for hundreds of years. Safe.
Tucked away in Earth’s back pocket.
Editor’s Note: For background, please consider reading about the history of the Tule River Tribe of California, particularly the stories and legends related to the Painted Rock site. The photo of Painted Rock above comes from the Southern Sierra High Adventure Team’s website.
Don Thompson has been writing about the San Joaquin Valley for over fifty years, including a dozen or so books and chapbooks. Recently he has been concentrating on the Yokuts, the indigenous people of the region. For more info and links to publishers, visit his website at www.don-e-thompson.com.