Indigenous

Flagged - Words in Exile: Entry 4

This word was flagged by the U.S. government for erasure in 2025.  Click Here. Or not.

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fingers stained blue–indigenous–
blueberry skin split under nails.
sweetness, thumb-dark.
the basket frayed at the rim.
dawn arrives with its fist already closed.

indigenous woman
under fluorescent checkout
rice, salt, strike-anywhere matches.
her card goes through.
it always does.

lichen crust, reindeer moss frozen.
indigenous ground, boot prints fill with meltwater.
someone gutted a rabbit here.
blood already black on the snow.

one indigenous song
snagged in barbed wire–
rust blooming orange.
kora strings–griots teaching sand
what won't be forgotten.

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