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 It Was…
~ Orannhawk 

don’t move
i’m not
moving
you are
hurting
me

eyes
closed
tears staining
my cheeks
struggling to breathe
not wanting
to smell

why do i
remember
the
smell

shut up
and
stay still

sounds
from the other room
bring more tears

why are
you
allowing
this

awareness
increased
as the years
passed

my pleas
went
unheard
discounted
ignored

do not
hold
me
down
this way

my heart
pounds
in the
memory

i was just
a child
even then

i knew it was
wrong

why
did
no one
step
in
to
protect
me

memories
slam into
my soul
like a
tsunami

the fear
shame
the smell
panic

it was
inappropriate
yes

i was
broken
lost
alone

it
wasn’t
just
inappropriate

it
was
abuse

​

Ocanaluftee Epiphany
~ Dawn Karima
    for Duane Brayboy

Glistening glitter,
Tinsel twists,
Sparkling snowflakes,
Transform the church in the holler.
Church basement ladies safety pin wings and halos.
Solos swirl into the crisp, cold air. Deacons tear butcher paper,
Crease brown bags with rulers.
Every orange,
Every penny,
Every peppermint stick,
Is a Sunday School lesson in love for 
Small Shepherds, 
All of the Angels,
And Wise Men.

Morning News on the Rez
~ Dawn Karima

Elderly Neighbor sweeps the steps,
With a dollar store broom,
Y'all know the one, 
White plastic, with blue bristles,
That bend if the rez dirt breaks too hard.

"Great day in the morning!" she shouts angrily,
Frowns,
Puts the broom down.
As her daughter, the young one,
Not the one with the lisp,
Tells her what the Supreme Court done did now.