CLUMSY OAFS

CLUMSY OAF

The author said,

in her people’s wisdom,

that no Native language has

a cognate for “human” as

separate from other beings.

The NPR interviewer sighed and

became excited by the unity

of all things and the serenity

implied in this foreign paradigm.

I’ve read enough of

literature to know we in the

West speak about the conflict

of man versus nature, so I wonder

how that plays out in the Native

American spirit?

Unity. What is that? Kum by yah?

To honor the soul of the animal

you killed for food, be in love

with the three sisters, be kindred

with the trees, to find fellowship

with the twisted rocks and clear

waters who are your home.

How smooth and easy

in contrast to the white man’s

distinct ability to become a

dissonant trumpet, out of tune,

crippled, always able to find

a way to get it wrong.

Every time.

Like all the noise we make as we

carry “diversity” like a spear

because we need our wars and

search for a reason to kill that guy

who isn’t us, to bulldoze the

land we are required to tame.

It is who we are.

We see beauty, but cannot walk in it

with our unentangled souls. Yes,

we can take its picture, even paint it

to hang on our sterile walls, but only if

the colors match the furniture.

Copyright

Vol Lindsey

02/12/2022

Interview:

Xelena González and Adriana Garcia

Samantha Balaban

Reviews

[carl]

very nice work, especially respond to the concept of "other" and our propensity to poop in our own bed - so to speak. Read 1941 and The Mound Builders recently (currently working on an Adena and Hopewell poem) and was amazed at the comparison of native people in North America contrasted to the Old World invaders, and we called the indigenous people savages. Thanks for your post -carl

[Vol]

Thank you, Carl,
I sometimes hesitate to write such things as this because it is such an obvious truism, and well-discussed. As though anything said could possibly make a difference

[carl]

Have to have hope - if not to convert then to reassure and confirm already held convictions if not to self then to like minded. Be brave be steadfast. -carl

[Vol]

Well, I know how it all turns out... bur the road is long and full of danger!

[jacob erin-cilberto]

we really are "dissonant trumpets" aren't we?

and your last stanza says it perfectly....beauty we hang over the furniture if it matches...but would we hang the pic and throw out the furniture if it does not match?