Dancing With Nookomis
“My body knew that / before my mouth knew words. / So when the cowboy music played, I danced the only way I knew how / with my ancestors in my bones, / with my grandma’s voice in my ears.”
Poetry
Poetry
Poetry
Poetry
My Roots
“My roots comfort me, / when my heart is breaking, / and sing to me, / when I am most in need.”
wíŋyaŋ
“woman is the light in which began the creation of all things known to us / woman is the warmth of palms faced towards the sky / woman is of sore cheek bones in prairie seas glowing in amber / woman is the day”
Chasing a Vein
“Spaces between fingers / Along the bony ankle / Neck / Groin. / Anywhere skin still whispered / Maybe / Anywhere pain could be mistaken / For permission.”
Little Spirits Falling From the Sky
“Each little spirit came falling down onto this big Earth / to form a relationship to this physical world. / Acknowledge these little spirits, / welcome them.”
Bury Me in the Prairie
Storm’s Coming by Nykesha Nez of Diné College
There are burn marks between the edges of my fingers, a product of late-night prairie skies that were too mesmerizing to look away, even as cigarette ash stains my skin. Short nails plague my weeping hands, blood forming on my …
Shinalí Asdzáán Journeys Home
“Her last two words / ‘Askwali Daway’ / From that day, / She drifted away, / Masauwu called her to the spirit world. / Shinalí Asdzáán Journeys home.”
The 2025 AIHEC Poetry Slam
As always, this year’s poetry slam was filled with inspiration, emotion, and drama. Here are the final three rounds.
Hands of Matriarchy
“I often wonder if my hands feel remorse and sorrow, / question whether or not they deserve forgiveness, / and if they feel joy and gratitude when given the chance to rebuild what was unmade.”