Poetry of Witness

 I grew up with stories that not necessarily were the classic “story before sleep” in fact my grandmother use to tell me stories that weren’t for kids, but my point is that I’ve always wondered a lot, even when the stories where about horrible creatures and people with mental problems who used to effectuate  terrible crimes. I must say, while I was reading Luis Erdrich Poem called “Windigo” I felt like more questions appeared in my mind with every stanza, because it seems that she is describing how a patient with a mind disorders, schizophrenia or a psychiatric condition are feeling inside. Karen Louise Erdrich is an author of novels, poetry, and children's books featuring Native American heritage, I can really see how evident Native American heritage is reflected in her poetry, describing the “Windigo” who is a demon who eats flesh, It seems that she has been marked in a positive way by native American stories; Erdrich chooses her wording in a very carful manner, transmitting a sense of fear. A lot of her assumptions are reflected in her writings. I like the way she interacts with the reader, I can see the vast experience she has and the amount of talent she reflects.  In the first stanza she starts describing one of the deepest fears of all humans that sometimes is called the “inevitably happening”: “You knew I was coming for you” This stanza can be interpreted in many Ways, but suddenly patients who suffer off schizophrenia have sometimes the same idea of someone inside of them who tells them horrible things, tormenting them, this creates a picture that sometimes becomes a reality in most societies because some societies call this issue “psychiatric condition” but native Americans used to say that they were possessed by demons. 
Erdrich, Louise. "Windigo." Poetry Foundation. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Sept 2011.
Photo From:
http://www.csustan.edu/english/reuben/pal/chap10/erdrich.html