breakup

a girl between two dialects

still a screen and still a searching, learns

the season of breakup

another word for spring

can come before or after

depending on where you grew up

online, back and forth

a word in the mouth tumbles

                           miyoskamin

                           birch-sapped june

                           season snow spotted

                           river melt

                           running

child again

wrists and creek bone

a river-girl

slick with mud

frost and word-melt

this poem takes place in her imagination

this poem takes place

miyoskamin me and you are s-kin

miyoskamin me and you are s-kin

miyoskamin 

in ohkoma’s language

where verbs never stand alone

a girl’s tongue curls nêhiyawêwin

into the nerves and walks from a room

to where miyoskamin returns

and ice          opens