elbow-elbow-wrist-wrist-wrist
by t. zoEy benally

Navajo Barbie parks
in the da'a k'e (farm)
with a wannabe Navajo Ken
smashes corn seedlings
in four 9-inch ribbons
reduces the amount of pollen and corn
available to the people
for that year,
and compresses
air out of the soil
reducing potential
crops of squash
and beans that might otherwise grow

i've been sick
by t. zoEy benally

i've been sick since Tuesday
microorganisms have been vibrating
their gelatin existence in my left ear
for two weeks, their spewed excrement
gases boom on the opposite eardrum side
their slimed trails leading toward my left lobe

my attempts to alert primary care providers
were met with answers that could have been
intercepted from future time-space continuum by even
a 39-second psychic, who normally tries only to finish sentences
"drink lots of water and take Tylenol for the pain."
there was the implied, understood, but unsaid--WIMP

i've had little enthusiasm for meetings about feel-good projects
little enthusiasm for saving the world, one pamphet at a time
i've only seen the world through eyes clouded by the dreggy
depression brought on by the build up of bacteria
their prescense obvious every time i blow my nose
global warming, apathy, people settling for status quo...

i've been sick since Tuesday
walking in a acrid fog, clouds weighed down by heavy metals
spewed by power plants so that Phoenix, Vegas, Los Angeles
can have their television, microwaves, fans, and track lighting
i've been sick since Tuesday
but i'm getting better now.