First there was love,
then entered quarrel,
which grew into
anger,
then grief,
and then First Woman
could no longer live
alongside First Man
in happiness,
so she turned away,
toward the east,
and walked
for many days,
leaving First Man
alone
with his own pain.
It is said
that an angry woman
walks fast.
So a great spirit came
to kindle
reconciliation.
The spirit caused
the huckleberry
to burst into flame,
but still, First Woman
kept walking. Then
peach, pear, apple, cherry,
all the berries
of the forest. Still,
First Woman kept walking.
So the spirit created
an entirely new fruit,
the strawberry,
which First Woman
bent down to eat,
and as she ate
the anger
slowly went away,
and all that remained was love.
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