Shaman

The Wind spoke of his coming
through the branches of the trees
children would start
to laugh or cry
& many birds would
circle the air
above

temperature would rise
or drop
suddendly &
people in the village
would start to itch
on their toes
and fingers
even under the nails

the old people
of the village
just nodded at each other
for they knew
well
the omens
& had witnessed "his"
entrance many times before

the shaman appeared
first in an old man
sitting by the fireplace
his face became distorted
& his voice was
suddendly that of another man

then he would leave
and reappear in one of the young girls
of the village
who unsettled her parents
with  her vivid visions
& knowledge
of the ancestors

when the night
fell
the shaman had visited
most of the village people
& made them aware
of his presence

& in their sleep
the shaman would
appear to them and take
them further into
the deep ocean
of dreams
where he would
prepare them for
working with
the spirits