The Dream Reality

My Grandmother came to me in dream,
Nookomis, Nimaamaanaan.

From beyond the horizon she flew,
dark wings,
pale face,
closer.

Darting head from East to West,
her voice on high
whistled for me.
My arms outstretched,
she lifted me,
with her mouth.

The hairs on my body arose,
each one an ancestor,
together,
calmly,
we traveled towards our futurity.

Landing atop her nest,
the sweet scents of Moss,
Lichens,
Ogaawag,
soothed me.
I surrendered as she gobbled me up!

Being digested
resembled tight squeezes,
the kind I longed for as a child.
Nimaamaanaan!

Throbbing into her heart,
I danced!
I danced there,
in her heart,
her heart, her heart,
her heart, her heart,
until a great red flood washed me away.

I flowed down many rivers,
retreating to her belly,
where I felt much like
a soaked piece of fry bread.

There was a conversation in the gut,
it was worried and hurried and I wanted out!

I swam and squirmed
into her ovary.
Petroglyphs and parietalis
marked the walls.

Those who came before me
Mother,
Auntie,
Great Grandmother,
And even those unborn,
Daughter,
Granddaughter,
radiated their reflections
and sang their songs to me in rounds.

A feeling of readiness came,
I bared down.
Taking a grounding
deep breath,
I found my way
through the birth canal.

Large warm hands pulled me from the womb!

I wiped the salt from my eyes.
Newly born,
leaving long behind.

 

Nookomis thrust me into the clouds!
My arms,
now wings!

I did not ask to fly alone.

My head darted from East to West,
until the pink sunrise caught my eye.
The weight of gravity tugged at me.

Descending…

Nookomis!

Mindimooyenh!

“I’m here,

I’m here,” Nookomis spoke.

I can’t see you,

I screeched!

Help me!!

A wind rushed under me,
hurling me through the sky,
pulling me to earth.

I awoke in my bed.

No more wings.

With a dry mouth,
I breathed aloud,
Nookomis?!

I noticed then the morning sun casting shadows on my wall.
Imprinted patterns of that Oak outside my window.

I surrendered,
singing to myself,
there you are,
there you are.

Ava Carpentier is a student at Leech Lake Tribal College.

Definitions for Ojibwemowin words used:

Nookomis = My Grandmother
Nimaamaanaan = My Mother
Ogaawag = Walleye (fish)
Mindimooyenh = Old Woman