MY UNCLE ASKED
can you write about me?
tell your readers i was the last
ndn to stand on that rock before they blasted
crazy horse’s face into its cracks and flat slopes.
my war scars wrap my ribs
all the way to my back, up my shoulder.
tell them i never ran when dudes acted tough.
write about the time i smacked
my head on the backboard
during high school. all my fans said i leaped so high,
higher than any ndn before.
it’s funny, spam was the only thing in my diet.
i flew through the air like a bat, i was athletic.
strong man. trust me i was strong.
no workout plan, just big weight.
under all this fat is the strength.
i only ride bareback. let your readers know.
i don’t like how the straps wear a horse’s fur.
mention my solo memorial ride
over togwotee pass.
tell them i’m a man of faith.
it was the pastor’s altar call
when Jesus entered my life.
i was bad growing up. now i lay
a different kind of hand.
never one to masquerade.
i know all the traditional dances and songs.
i know this ain’t a test
but will my story pass?
is it strong or will it collapse?
—from The Morning You Saw a Train of Stars Streaking Across the Sky
__________
CooXooEii Black: “I’ve always been interested in emotionally compelling stories, whether it was music, movies, or tv. I constantly got into trouble in elementary school for telling stories, singing songs, and acting. Then in high school, I watched a spoken word video, and for the first time, I found a medium that incorporated everything I love to do. So I put a few images down on a page, and I haven’t stopped since. Because it was God who gave me the ability to write, I daily return it to Him as a form of worship.” (web)
