I want to tell
you a strange but true story.
You may think
beavers eat only trees and wood, but
I’ve seen them
eat meat.
I’ve seen them eat salmon.
I’ve seen them eat salmon.
I was fishing
for salmon on Clearwater Creek.
Just then, I
heard a loud noise.
I walked along toward the noise.
A beaver was eating the heads of dead, spawned salmon.
I walked along toward the noise.
A beaver was eating the heads of dead, spawned salmon.
Only their
heads!
I don’t know
what it means.
Tr. John E. Smelcer. From Beautiful Words: Kasuundze’ Kenaege’ (2011), a collection of poems originally written in Smelcer’s first language, Ahtna, an Athabaskan language of southern Alaska with only about 20 speakers left (of whom Smelcer is by far the youngest: he points out that one day he will be the last surviving speaker).
Tr. John E. Smelcer. From Beautiful Words: Kasuundze’ Kenaege’ (2011), a collection of poems originally written in Smelcer’s first language, Ahtna, an Athabaskan language of southern Alaska with only about 20 speakers left (of whom Smelcer is by far the youngest: he points out that one day he will be the last surviving speaker).
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