Spirit of The Deep
Deep down a flash and glint of gold,
Then something wicked fast
Rips upward through the dark and cold.
A water panther clad in copper scales,
with claws and horns—
the fearsome beast of old Ojibwe tales.
Who with a single lash or writhe
transforms the placid Lake
Into a foaming tide.
Rips and whirlpools, rapids, undertows,
Crashing waves and jagged cracks in ice,
All manifest when he his power shows.
Master of the Lakes, protector of them,
he demands respect,
and honor of his totem.
Defilers meet a fate of awful woe,
They feel the scrape of scales
Then in a flash are dragged down far down below.
Guardian of Lakes is Mishipeshu,
Love them well or he will get you.