Manny Monolin Moreno, Poet and Author, Ongoing Contributor, Shares His Life - So Much Like Ours?

 

Good evening

I hope at this time everyone here is in a good space and place.
I have had the strangest things coming at me these past days. To where my nerves have been tested in various unwanted or uncalled-for issues, with hackers and the tweaker neighbors. And other things.
Right now I am lying back, trying to focus on my art and writing, while waiting anxiously for news on the grant awards, May 15th.

I could stay angry at the neighbors, the hackers, the people in traffic, the con artists and so on, but I will not allow all that to knock me down. This anxiety can take me into depression, so I smudge, give thanks and fight back. With prayer. It is all I have of any value.
It is not easy living in this trailer village. I have to watch my back because of evil people. I stay to myself. And when they try to test me, young fools, I turn and walk. I don't give them any power to take a chance and try to hurt me.

Distractions come when things seem to be going okay. Some people out of envy for how I live and the privacy I keep, create drama to throw at me. 13 years here now, I have kept mostly to myself.

The answer for me to overcome these challenges, is to get on my knees and pray.

I guess, in a way, my life is like a sundance.

Have a good evening everyone that are here. Blessings to you. 
Manny

Manny is a man of peace... He is an Elder of his people... I've been thinking about Manny a lot recently as he is struggling with crap from those who can't help but mess with other people's lives...just for fun... Manny's site was hacked...Facebook put the responsibility on the individual hacked instead of dealing with the mess they made in allowing people from other sites to come on Facebook and "pretend" to be people we are already connected to... It happens OFTEN... TOO OFTEN... It's a shame because Facebook is and has been pushing their members away because of this lack of control... Manny is my friend, my adopted brother... When he is frustrated, I am. When he is sad, I am... So, I just wanted to support him by sharing his words today... 

We all need to feel that somebody is listening just as God is... The early American Christians did so much damage.  We need to speak out on behalf of the Indigenous Natives...

Crossing Over - From The Elder

Morning was cold and windy and the rain was pouring hard. It seemed like the spirits were everywhere.

Running late, Craig and his wife Jenny picked me up in Livingston. Jenny drove racing down Highway 99 through the storm, getting us to Stockton on time at the mortuary, before the burial of Harry Jack.

We walked in through the front where many people had gathered and greeted them. Some held sad faces, others smiles.

Whatever ill feelings anyone had toward each other were held back. For we had all gathered there for the same reason--to pay respects to our beloved Harry Jack, a revered community Elder. I made my way inside while others were seated on the benches and sat alone towards the back. There were people I hadn't seen in years and people I had known as children, now grownup with their own children seated with them.  The big viewing room was quiet except for the cries of a baby and the voices of men up front before the casket taking turns saying a few words.

I waited awhile and walked up front to see Harry. He didn't appear to be dead, just asleep. He seemed to smile at me as I stood there looking at him, wrapped in his Black Wolf Gourd blanket, his eagle fan in his hands crossed on his chest. I wanted to say, "Get up Harry, we gotta go pow-wow. But reality didn't let me.

I stood there a few minutes and said a silent prayer, asking Grandfather to welcome his spirit. As I turned around to return to my seat, I saw a few men sitting around a drum. Cloud, Freddie and Ray. I walked over to them, they stood to shake my hand--no words were spoken.

Back at the bench, Mark a member of the Black Wolf Gourd Clan came and sat down beside me. He was holding something wrapped in red cloth. When Harry's stepson, Gilbert walked up front and began singing a Mi-Wuk song. Mark unwrapped the red cloth, pulled out a white spotted eagle feather, handed it to me and said, "The Black Wolf wants to thank you for all that you did for Harry... Read more from The Elder...

Found this while browsing...the oldest video, it claims... Enjoy!