Maricopa resident now a published poet

Maricopa has a newly published author in its midst.

PublishAmerica is proud to announce the recent release of Leamon (Bud) C. Ryan’s new book of poetry, The Sum of Autumn.

Ryan, a Maricopa resident, former commander of VFW Post 12043 and last year’s Arizona state Buddy Poppy contest display winner, has been writing poetry for years.

“The Sum of Autumn is a book of poems that reflect upon past memories from my youth to the present time. My poetry is written from the heart, revealing my innermost feelings,” said Ryan, who calls his poetry “a dim light brightened by the sunshine of my soul.”

Ryan was born in 1932 during the Great Depression in a log cabin with an earthen floor, deep in the hills of Kentucky. Today he writes, not only for himself, but to enrich the lives of others. The Sum of Autumn is a legacy in poetic form for both his family and friends.

One of Ryan’s poems, written this year and provided to InMaricopa.com, although not included in his book is entitled “Great Spirit.”

O’ Great Spirit, let me hear your voice in the wind,
I sit alone in my Teepee waiting for the spirit warrior you will send,

I have long lived life; you have heaped many blessings upon me,
My spirit ready to be cast to the four corners of my nation where I shall forever be free,

I remember the battles fought when the white eyes took our land.
I am forced to live on the reservation, a desolate place of scrub brush and desert sand,

In the olden days we were free to hunt the buffalo on our vast open range,
Being sent to the desert wilderness where we cannot watch the seasons change,

Our young braves robbed of their spirit can no longer ride their ponies to hunt the bear and antelope,

Our women have to dig the hard soil to plant maize, carry water from the river to make it grow; having much trouble to cope,

My eyes see the Eagle flying on the other side of the mountains; I see fresh waters flowing from nature’s fountains,

The ceremonial fire now ignited will return my flesh back to dust; the embers will burn brightly until a summer storm pelts them with rain,

As sand flows through the medicine man’s fingers with much skill, the sand painting takes form; the chant of spiritual power transcends my body to be carried to that peaceful plain,

When my sight fades to a dim light and total darkness appears, I will hear your whisper in the winds and know the peace I have found,

O’ Great Spirit, carry me across the white waters, and over the tall mountains; lift my spirit on Eagle’s wings to the happy hunting ground.

To purchase your own copy of Ryan’s The Sum of Autumn, click here. For an introductory discount of 20 percent, use coupon code Discount20.

Submitted photos