Letters to Tom Yodi: November 12, 1975

Dear Tom,

You have made this old man very happy. You have given him reason to live on. Your letter arrived last week and it gave me hope that the two of us might heal some, and might one day walk again under the stars together as we did when you were small and full of that wonder I remember is contained in all boys who discover that the world lies great and endless beyond their doors.

You say you are doing well but I know better. Green River is a Hell for all those who value the wide open places. You never did like the indoors. You lived your whole life within the same four walls. You slept in the bed where you were born. In the old times a family who lived in such close proximity drew strength from the closeness. In the old times a man would hunt and a woman would have much work to do, but there is no work now and the closeness only divides.

I don't blame Dan Yodi for what he did. These times turned him into a desperate man. He tried to be a good father to you, he did that for me, because I was a surrogate father to him. My own brother fell prey to the vices that have brought our nations down. But in the end Daniel broke and I was not around to see him weaken, to stop it, to take responsibility for the damage I had caused in the name of love.

I was worried that I might be telling you more than you could handle. But your letter indicates otherwise. They say the truth shall set you free. And of course, you knew it all along. So now we begin a new journey together. You are inside, I am out, but we will learn from each other that which no man can learn by himself. I will teach you what it means to be Indian. You will teach me what it means to be a father. And when you get out, we'll wander again beneath Bear's Lodge and find the meaning of our existence.

I have sent a letter to a man named Benjamin Allesandro, who is also incarcerated at Green River. Ben is an old friend of mine. We grew up together. He will help you if he can. Ben knows the Cheyenne culture, he knows our legends and our ways. Find him if you can. He has been watching you, and he knows your name. There are things he can teach you Tom. Listen to him but do not question him. Address your questions to me in your letters and I will do what I can to explain.

Sleep Tom. You need your sleep.

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