The Law of the Land

Humanity suffers from "Nature-Deficit-Disorder." We have lost touch with the Earth, the Great Law-Giver. These poems tell of a moral code derived from the Earth. Part I shows the moral code of the Lakota Sioux, a Plains Indian tribe whose way of life was taken from them. Part III is the moral code of a former US Army sharpshooter, a killer of Indians who took part in the destruction of the Lakota. Both are moral codes of actions, not words. The middle section reconciles these two opposing codes; it is the Law of the Land, the Earth's moral code which affects animal, mineral and vegetable. This is the Law which prevails over us all; it is immortal and omniscient-it has the final say. With stark and powerful language, The Law of the Land tells a poetic fable through three voices from America's past, each describing their own unique stories and perspectives which impart lessons about life and morality. Though these voices (and their moral codes) appear in opposition, they interact in ways which illuminate a complex relationship between them. Red Hawk's poems originate from an intelligent and spiritual soul, and they reveal wisdom about the nature of life, America's history, and our relationship with Mother Earth that is well worth listening to.