Sylacauga, treading lightly
This is where they walked, swam hunted danced and sang, Take a picture here; Take a souvenir. Cuyahoga, R.E.M. Sometimes words swim around in our minds, sinking into the inner layers until they embed, planting new life in our neurological bedrock. ~~~S y l a c a u g a~~~ A few days ago, my swimming word was a name-place: a small, hilly town in Alabama, where once tread the Shawnee, until they were forced to move west of the Mississippi through the Indian Removal Act. Sylacauga looped around like a river otter in my ear. Chalakagay was a Shawnee settlement prior to the expelling of native Americans both more and less itinerant (the Creek were established in this area before the arrival of the Shawnee, who were refugees). The lay of the land is gentle here; one can see why it made such a compelling place to rest, with its hills, forests, and lakes coming together, forging ecosystems. See: https://digitalalabama.com/alabama-cities/sylacauga-alabama/2543...