13. PRAYER FROM THE ARCTIC

It all had started
One afternoon.

As I was hunting
Time flew too soon.

The sun set quickly
And darkness came.

I wondered why
I killed no game.

The wind was sharp
And the stars shone bright

As I stood on a hill
That winter night.

How long I stood there
I do not know.

But I did not heed
The wind or snow.

I tried to remember
Again and again

Which direction I came
But all in vain.

I scowled as I knew
I was lost somewhere.

My heart beat harder
And my nerves grew bare.

I thought of something
I should have known.

My heart stop'd pounding
My thoughts calmed down.

I should have known
That prayer might save me;

I whispered, Lord spare me,
As I went on my knee.

My knee grew cold
As I knelt in the snow.

How long I knelt
I do not know.

The Lord must have heard me
For I could hear,

A mingle of sounds
Which brought me cheer,

A man and his team
Were trav'ling by night.

My voice split the air
As I shouted with might,

It wasn't too long
Before the man came,

His team numbered nine
And he called them by name.

I walked to the sled
As if in a daze,

And thanked the dear Lord
For his kind ways,

The good man covered me
In blankets deep,

And I slipped into
A restful sleep.

Mrs. Abel beamed after she read my poem and gave me an A plus. My assignment wasn‘t over. I was to stand up and read it to the class. I did it with what must have been a look of horror because I had real fear of facing a lot of people. I never wrote the short Eskimo epic I had been wanting to do.
The high school summers were spent at Mt. Edgecumbe. I never thought of asking the Principal if the government could send me home for the summer. I spent them loafing, swimming, playing. One summer I spent painting the dormitory for the maintenance department. Mostly I painted windows and enjoyed it.