Hunger - Kingmerut

Fear hung over me.
I dared not try
to hold out in my hut.

Hungry and chilled,
I stumbled inland,
tripping, falling constantly.

At Little Musk Ox Lake
the trout made fun of me;
they wouldn’t bite.

On I crawled,
and reached the Young Man’s River
where I caught salmon once.

I prayed
for fish or reindeer
swimming in the lake.

My thought
reeled into nothingness
like run-out fishing-line.

Would I ever find firm ground?
I staggered on,
muttering spells as I went.

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Kingmerut = Copper Eskimo man, from Ellis River, Queen Maud’s Sea, Canada
Date unknown