Homeland? On my ankle, a clawing of skin. Mud? No. I was born with it. A bit of soil. And I stole it (back). Permanent insertion: under the skin. Used my cousin’s frog dissection kit from 7th period biology.  Did it in the bathtub so I could hide the blood. Blemish:  Many women have them. (more)

Suffering, Pain, and Defeat were never present The brilliance of her shiny black hair flowing across her chest Hand-stitched traditional Mexican dresses of turquoise-blue Seeing the brilliance of azure come alive, in the sky Deep red of blood white like cumulus clouds Gold jewelry Of exotic structure like Picasso A woman of glamorous esteem Visionary (more)

The hum reverberated in his mind, a hum that seemed to vibrate down his spine. His jaw spasm made his teeth chatter and grind, occasionally locking up shut. But he had some opiate painkillers in his green bag to relax his muscles from the strain of speeding. He could hear his breath resonate in his (more)

In 1997, I was in a car accident with my step-dad, Gerald Wayne Smith, who died. The accident happened between 1:30 a.m. and 2:00 a.m. on a Thursday night, after he came to the Four Bears Casino to pick me up from work. I worked as a bartender; my husband had just arrived at work (more)

During the winter a couple of years ago, I used to drive my children back and forth from Rapid City to Pine Ridge so they could attend school at Red Cloud. One weekend, on the way to Pine Ridge, my van was full of my girls and their friends. One of my daughter Jessica’s friends, (more)

January Wiótehika Wi Hard Moon February Cannapopa Wi Moon when the Trees Crack with Cold March Istá wicayazan Wi Moon of the Sore Eyes April Wihákaktacépapi Wi Moon when the Wife Had to Crack Bones for Marrow Fat May Canwápe To Wi Moon of the Green Leaves June Wípazutkan Wasté Wi Moon when the Berries (more)

Deedra looked at her fingernails, then at mine, as if to distract herself. I moved in close and put my arm around her. She put her head down and her hair fell over her face. “I’m sorry,” she sobbed. I could have cried for her as I saw her as a little girl remembering her (more)

You would think that as a year-around resident of Legend Lake, I would enjoy living on the beachfront during the summer. But I loathe the weeks from Memorial Day to Labor Day. The summer season begins with the Memorial Day weekend, which also begins my summer countdown. This is the dreaded time of year when (more)

The warrior scanned the dust on the horizon from the cliff overlooking a small, winding canyon, enclosed on both sides by jagged walls of stone. He knew that they had to come through the old trail; it was the only way. But that wouldn’t be for hours. He sat down and removed some dried meat (more)

“Is this really happening?” I asked myself as I edged nearer the side of the mountain. The scream of the wapiti cut through me like a knife and startled me into action. I knelt and drew back my bow, all the while wondering if my ten-year pursuit of the elusive Rocky Mountain elk was nearly (more)