Zack Mahiques - Control Burn

This poem in Turtle Island describes how the indians burn the brush to enrich the soil and allow the manzanita seeds to grow. He remembers how the indians used to do it so they could grow crops, and then describes the landscape. The manzanita crowds the bushes and prevents other plants from growing. The only way to remove the manzanita is to burn it using a controlled fire. He calls the fire an old story, reminding him of how the indians used to use it to clean the land. Should the forest be burned again, the manzanita will be removed and the land will be restored to how it was during the indians time.