Skye Woman

A poem about skye woman

This is about a beautiful woman I washed dishes with who enlightened me to the sexist and dangerous culture that exists on the tar sands camps, she bravely worked through it all...because she had to. She walks as a free Skye woman through the dark clouds of capitol greed. 

skye
was maybe twenty five 
and rig pigs were on her tongue

she checked the bleach
and washed the meat 
with eyes hanging swollen on 
metal rungs

in little bits between 
ziploc containers
and steam filled abbreviations
she told me 

about black wolves and settlements
sweat lodges and seventh children
oil sands and oil camps
girls
girls being sluts
protecting sluts from camps
breathing troubles
and never being alone
brothers and sisters
victoria
being the only female in a grocery store
pow wow
being the knowledge keeper

skye 
invited me to teepee
invited me to sing with her 
in between cultural juxtapositions
and chamomile tea
we laughed about men 
and I pretended to know 
to understand the spiritual messages 
of the seventh child
oh Skye Woman

she walks