Wilma Elizabeth McDaniel at 80 years
of age, portrait by Roman Loranc. Oklahoma Litany first appeared in
Prince Albert Wind ©1994,
Wilma Elizabeth McDaniel.
It was this poem that affected Oklahoman John Cooper of the Red Dirt Rangers so deeply that he knelt and kissed Wilma's hand after she did
a reading of her poetry onstage at
the Weedpatch Festival in 1998
[See next image and caption.] (back)
Oklahoma Litany
Top drawers of memory
never contain anything
of value for me
when wounded
and needing a balm
I pull out the bottom
drawer
of my mind
marked Oklahoma
which holds a list
of small raw towns
with names of touching beauty
I recite with reverence
Bowlegs
Depew
Pretty Water
Idabel
Lone Star
Gypsy Corner
Broken Arrow
Cloud Chief
until the words
form a prayer
which I do not understand
but close the drawer
with my own Amen