Cell Traffic: New and Selected Poems

Contents

Contents The Poetry of Participation: On the Work of Heid Erdrich, Dean Rader xi Acknowledgments xvii I. Chimeras Thrifty Gene, Lucky Gene 5 Brain Scan 7 Mitochondrial Eve 8 DNA Tribes 9 Morrisseau Creatures from the Woodland Painters School 10 Microchimerism 11 Define Chimera 14 Now, What Is She? 15 Blood Chimera 16 II. Cannibals Fur Trade Tokens 19 Now, Where Was She? 21 Wiindigo Pity 22 Own Your Own: Cellular Changes 23 Long Pig 24 The Love that Dares 25 Seven Mothers 26 Tick Check 27 Bestial 28 Menu 29 Embodied 30 III. Tourists Indigenous Elvis at the Airport 33 When They Find Each Other on Facebook 34 Love Plot 35 Little Souvenirs from the DNA Trading Post 36 Thoughts of Kids Interrupt My Work 38 Own Your Own: The Papergirl 39 Just off the Highway 41 Quiet Cupboard 42 viii IV. Traffickers Upon Hearing of the Mormon DNA Collection 47 Now, Where Was She, Too? 48 Interrogated Self 49 Traffic 51 Sleeper 52 Again, Today 54 Cold Climate 55 Two Sides 56 Paint These Streets 58 Uncollected Work (2006–2011) I. Prose Poems and Translations The Shapes We Make 65 The Shapes We Make / Ezhi-Zhibiigeyaang / The Way We Write 66 How We Walk 68 How We Walk / Ezhi-bimoseyaang / The Way We Walk 69 How We Talk 73 How We Talk / Ezhi-gaagiigidoyaang / The Way We Talk 74 How We Eat 78 How We Eat / Ezhi-wiisiniyaang / The Way We Eat 79 II. Prose Poems Preeminent Gooseberry Bakwezhiigan 85 In House 87 Dancer Origin Story 88 Dancer in Twin Voices 90 Utopia Hawk 92 My Fetal Beatles or an Embryonic Education in Commune 93 Indigenous Foods Allowed in Utopia 94 Red Vines: Lines for Deloria 95 III. Prose Originals Quiet Cupboard 99 Two Sides 101 ix Selected Work (1997–2008) from National Monuments (2008) Guidelines for the Treatment of Sacred Objects 107 Black and White Monument, Photo Circa 1977 109 Grand Portage 113 Post-Barbarian 114 Some Elsie 115 In Search of Jane’s Grave 116 The Theft Outright 118 Elsie Drops Off the Dry Cleaning 120 Butter Maiden and Maize Girl Survive Death Leap 121 The Lone Reader and Tonchee Fistfight in Pages 123 Full Bodied Semi-Sestina 124 Body Works 126 Kennewick Man Tells All 128 Kennewick Man Attempts Cyber-date 129 Kennewick Man Swims Laps 130 Prisoner No. 280 132 Vial 134 Girl of Lightning 135 from The Mother’s Tongue (2005) Offering: Words 139 She Dances 140 Stung 141 This Body, The River 142 The Deep 143 Craving, First Month 144 Offering: The Child 145 Kookum 146 First Rice 147 What Pregnant Is Like 148 Young Poets with Roman Noses 149 Another Touch 151 Nesting Dolls 152 Craving Release 153 Sisters Stay On the Other Side 154 x New Born 155 Offering: Ojibwe 157 Craving: Bitter Root 158 Twin Bugs 159 Vermillion Hands Petroglyph 160 Our Words Are Not Our Own 161 Poem for Our Ojibwe Names 162 In the Belly 164 Changeling 165 Remedy 166 Wiisah kote: The Burnt Wood People 167 Basswood 168 The Good Woman 169 from Fishing for Myth (1997) True Myth 173 Breaking and Entering 174 The Red River of the North 175 Oxbow 177 Rich Hour 178 One Girl 179 Human Map 180 The Pond 182 Fat in America 183 That Green Night 184 Flickers 185 Sex in the Desert 186 Hopi Prophet Chooses a Pop 187 Wearing Indian Jewelry 189 Turtle Rattle 190 Translation 191 Animoosh 192 TV News: Detox Closed 193 The Visible Woman 195 Future Debris 196 Sense 197 Notes 199 ...