Poem: "Coyote Never Loses"
Sep. 28th, 2022 12:32 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithThis poem is spillover from the August 16, 2022 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from zianuray. It also fills the "WILD CARD: Coyote" square in my 8-1-22 card for the Reel Time Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by a pool with ng_moonmoth. It belongs to the Shiv thread of the Polychrome Heroics series.
"Coyote Never Loses"
[Thursday, April 17, 2015]
Shiv felt filthy.
He had finished
the assignment
and then helped
clean up the mess.
He had taken his share
of the liberated funds
as a hazard bonus.
Nobody (at least
on their side) had
even gotten hurt.
Shiv still felt like he
had spent the morning
cleaning out the johns.
That mark had been
a complete sleazebucket,
and it seemed like that
got all over everything
and everyone around him.
Shiv tried taking a shower.
He even tried using some of
the lavender salt scrubby stuff
he'd learned about from the Finns.
That helped ... a little. Not enough.
Shiv put on something presentable,
ran a comb through his still-wet hair,
and went downstairs to see Boss White.
"You okay there?" Dymin asked when
Shiv showed up in front of her desk.
"Not really," Shiv said. "Can I
talk with the boss, or is he busy?"
"He'll make time for you,"
Dymin assured him.
"Go right on back."
Shiv found Boss White
sitting behind his desk.
"Thought I might see you
down here," Boss White said.
"I didn't want to interrupt if you
could sort through it yourself."
"Yeah, no," Shiv said, rubbing
his hands along his arms.
"I still feel dirty inside."
"What things have you
already tried to deal with
that?" said Boss White.
"I took a shower and used
that lavender salt scrub,"
Shiv said. "It helped, but
not as much as I hoped."
Boss White held out a hand.
"All right, let me take a look."
"Okay," Shiv said as he
took hold, trying not to cling.
"Yeah, that's a bit of a mess,"
Boss White said. "Do you
have any more ideas?"
"I don't want the loot,"
Shiv said. "I know, I know,
it's a bonus and I earned it,
but I don't want anything
from that dick. I mean it."
"Have you thought about
buying something, so it's not
just cash?" said Boss White.
"Thought about it, didn't
feel any better," Shiv said.
"What about passing it along to
someone else?" said Boss White.
Shiv wrinkled his nose. "That's
dirty money, boss, I don't want
to pass along my problems."
"Money can be laundered,"
Boss White pointed out.
"I don't know, maybe?"
Shiv said with a frown.
"Buy something with it
and then give that away?"
Boss White suggested.
"Oh yeah," Shiv said,
brightening. "I think
that might work out."
"Feels like it could,"
Boss White said as
he rubbed the back of
Shiv's hand. "You got
any ideas about who?"
"Not really," said Shiv.
"I don't think that just
dropping it into a bin
for some charity would
help very much, either."
"Hmm," said Boss White.
"How about the Omaha?
They're allies, they always
need whatever they can get,
and -- while we won't share
details -- they sure are happy
to pull one over on The Man."
"Yeah, okay," Shiv said.
"I would like to try that."
"Come on," said Boss White.
"We'll hit the Hospitality Shop
and load up the truck there."
Shiv trotted along beside him
as they went to the parking lot.
They hopped into the truck
and drove to the store, which
was where they bought a lot
of the stuff for Blues Moon.
It had all kinds of bulk goods
for restaurants, hotels, and
other hospitality businesses.
When they went inside,
Boss White waved a hand
and a clerk trotted over.
"May I help you?" she said.
"We are stocking up today,"
said Boss White. "Please
assign us a flatbed cart and
someone to do heavy lifting."
They wound up with a guy
whose muscles had muscles,
driving a power-assist cart.
"Do you have things in mind,
do you want suggestions, or
what?" Boss White asked Shiv.
"Maybe walk around the store
and see what looks good today,"
said Shiv. "Some inventory is
stable, but some shifts a lot."
"Good idea," said Boss White.
"Let's see how you do, then."
Well, okay, Shiv had gotten
enough lessons about budgeting
to have some idea about how far
the stupid loot should get him.
He pulled out his smartphone
and then brought up the app
for his shopping calculator.
He veered left through one of
the snack aisles so he didn't have
to cut across people waiting in line
at the checkout lanes, but he didn't
pick up any of the junk food there.
Shiv had eaten out of food pantries
often enough to know which things
held the most value and which didn't.
He started in the Pharmacy section,
as vitamins were always helpful when
you didn't necessarily know where
your next meal was coming from.
Then he spotted the LadyPax case
and another familiar box beside it,
and grabbed one of each. That'd
be a hell of a thing to run out of.
"I admit that's a surprise,"
Boss White said, chuckling.
"What?" said Shiv. "This is
the brand that Heron carries as
a party monitor, I figure he knows
what he's doing. The other one
is Luci's favorite brand that I've
had under my sink for months."
"All right, you thought it through,"
said Boss White. "Good job."
Shiv barely glanced at the Bakery.
The Meat department was tempting,
but he didn't want to take anything
that needed to stay cold or frozen.
He slowed down for the Produce area,
though, scanning it like a farmer's market.
There were 50-pound bags of potatoes
and onions that would keep well and
would work in many different recipes.
"One of each in red, white, and yellow
of potatoes and onions," Shiv said,
and the muscle guy went to work
stacking those on the flatbed.
He spotted Granny Smith apples
in half-bushel boxes. "Two of those,"
he added. They were good keepers,
great for baking whole or in pies.
Shiv went past the frozen
and refrigerated foods, then
slowed to check canned goods.
They had normal-sized cans
bundled in big boxes, but they
also had the huge cans that
Cook used in the kitchen.
"What do you think, boss?"
Shiv asked. "Little cans,
big cans, or some of both?"
"How about little cans for
what folks eat plain, and
big cans that can be used as
ingredients for feast food?"
Boss White suggested.
"Good idea," Shiv said. He
picked out cases of soup and
canned spaghetti, then big cans
of tomato sauce, diced tomatoes,
chili beans, hominy, applesauce,
and pumpkin both plain and spiced.
From there he moved to the aisle
with big bags of dry beans and rice.
"Boss, do you know what kind of
beans the Omaha like?" said Shiv.
"All's I noticed was 'beans' in general."
"We have true red cranberry beans,
that's a tribal variety," said the shop guy.
"Let's see, I've also seen black beans,
white beans, pintos, and black-eyed peas,"
Boss White said. "Maybe throw in some
of those bean soup mixed bags, too."
Most of those came in 50-pound bags.
The mixed beans only went up to
5-pound bags, but you could get
those by the case, so that worked.
Then Shiv added brown rice and
white rice for complete protein.
Good thing that they had gotten
a power-assist cart to haul it all.
Next came the baking ingredients.
Salt, sugar, and flour were all useful,
but hadn't there been something
about frybread being bad for you?
Cornmeal, though, that was
a healthy whole-grain food
and it came in the big bags.
He threw in cacao powder,
too, the clinical-grade kind that
Mrs. Dr. G liked to cook with,
because who didn't love that?
Shiv hesitated over the next aisle
of cleaning supplies, which were
always useful, then shook his head.
Those things were just too bulky.
The furniture department
piqued his interest, but
those were even bigger.
"Check out that sale,"
Boss White said, pointing.
"Folding tables and chairs."
"Can't have too many of those,"
Shiv said. "We'll take four sets
of four chairs, and four tables."
"Sir, this cart is filling up, and it's
all food so far," said the muscle guy.
"Shall I call someone else for furniture?"
"Yes, please," said Boss White. "Just
run that up to the front to wait for us."
So they didn't even have to hang around
while the furniture was getting loaded.
The aisle of kitchen equipment was
mesmerizing, and Shiv wasn't
sure how to sort through it.
"Seems kinda wrong to bring
this much food and nothing
to cook it in, but I don't know
where to start," Shiv said.
"How about things that are
hard to find in a regular store,"
Boss White said. "Look up top
at those great big stockpots."
"Oh yeah, and the roaster pans,"
Shiv said, having spotted those
on a shelf closer to his own reach.
He picked the biggest of each type,
then added some of the largest crockpot
and another with three different pots.
They drifted past Appliances, and
then into Electronics. Shiv felt
half-tempted to pick up some
of the laptops or something.
He didn't know the good ones,
though, and no way in hell was
he asking the Finns about this.
The fabric and craft section
had fleece blankets tacked up
on the wall, some of them printed
with gorgeous nature pictures.
"What about those?" Shiv said.
"Think we could hunt up the bolts?"
"Not blankets," Boss White said quietly.
"There's some bad history there."
"Oh right, I think I heard about
that shit in school," Shiv said,
shuddering. "Germs and all."
"That's right," said Boss White.
"So we never send blankets unless
they come inside a sterile seal."
Shiv wondered if he could cadge
a bundle of Microfyne that way,
but he could suss that out later.
"Should we just skip the fabric
altogether, then?" Shiv said.
"No, other kinds of cloth are
fine," said Boss White. "I like
to take red, green, yellow, blue --
the four sacred colors in Omaha."
"Let's fan out, we'll find them
faster that way," Shiv decided.
"Material, sir?" said the shop guy.
"Cotton, linen, or wool is best,"
said Boss White. "Natural fibers."
The linen only came in a few colors,
but a rainbow of cotton made it
easy to pick out the four bolts.
That was the last corner
of the Hospitality Shop, so
they headed into the middle.
The clothing section offered
a riot of different designs.
Shiv grabbed a few cases
of socks and T-shirts in
assorted sizes, since they
would suit almost everyone.
The book department made
him stop and think again.
He wasn't much of a reader,
but maybe he didn't need to be.
Looking over the tables piled high
with books, he found cookbooks
by Better Homes and Gardens plus
collections from Edible Health and
Forage, two of his favorite magazines.
Shiv added a few dictionaries, since
people had homework even if they
didn't like reading very much.
He found a whole row of
wordless storybooks based
on pictures, which worked in
any language -- he'd seen some
of these books at the Finn houses.
Shiv picked the ones that had
the most interesting art inside.
Checking his app, he found
that he had spent almost but
not quite everything, allowing
for the sales tax at the register.
Looking around for inspiration,
Shiv spotted Lawn & Garden.
"Anybody see something good?"
he asked. "Garden tools, games?"
"This year's games aren't great,"
the shop guy said. "Something else?"
"These lawn chairs are made from
all recycled materials," Boss White said,
pointing to a colorful display of them.
Shiv did a quick calculation. "That'll do,"
he said, and picked out four of them.
"Sir, I don't think these will fit on
the current cart," the shop guy said.
"Shall I call for another flatbed?"
"Nah, I got this," Shiv said
as he picked up two of them.
"We're done here anyhow.
Boss, can you get the others
or do we really need a new cart?"
"I'm good," Boss White said,
lifting the last two lawn chairs.
"Let's head to checkout now."
It took a while to ring up
all the purchases and box
those not already in cases.
There was very little left
of the unwanted loot, so
Shiv simply cashed it out and
handed it to the shop guy as
as tip for hauling their stuff.
They got everything packed
into the truck in short order.
"Nice day for a drive,"
Boss White said as they
pulled out of the parking lot.
It was, really, a clear spring sky
over grass just turning green.
The countryside was dotted
with a few spring flowers,
and where they passed
farmhouses, daffodils and
tulips danced in the wind.
On the way into the reservation,
Boss White called Smoking Breath,
who asked them to meet him at
the Tribal Headquarters, since
that building wasn't far from
the Food Distribution Center.
When they pulled into
the parking lot, the shaman
was waiting for them, along
with an unfamiliar woman.
Shiv climbed out, wary
and restless but willing
to see what happened.
"This is Wilma Many Corn,
our food educator over at
the Food Distribution Center,"
said Smoking Breath. "Wilma,
this is Mr. White and Little Lynx,
who are bringing gifts from the city."
That Indian nickname sure had stuck,
but Shiv had to admit he kinda liked it.
"Actually, this whole batch comes
from Shiv," Boss White explained.
Shiv shuffled in place. "I uh, had stuff
I really wanted to hand off, after pulling
one over on a guy who deserved it."
"Thank you," said Smoking Breath.
"Wilma will sort out the food and
find a team to take care of it.
I'll see what's left after that."
"There's a lot of food,
some cookware, and uh,
she might want to take
the lady stuff," said Shiv.
Wilma looked into the truck
and exclaimed, "Did you
bring moon supplies?"
"Well, yeah, I got a sister,
I figured they'd be useful,"
Shiv said, scuffing a hand
through his hair. "Is that
weird? Boss, you didn't
tell me that was weird."
"Not weird, just impressive,"
Wilma said. "Thank you
very much. These are
hard to keep in stock."
"I got some tables and
chairs --" Shiv went on.
"Oh, let's open those and
use them for sorting things,"
said Smoking Breath. "We'll
store them in the headquarters
after we're done with them."
So they pried open the boxes,
then set up tables and a few chairs.
That did make it easier to sort
all of the stuff that everyone
was pulling out the truck.
Shiv found the lawn chairs
and leaned them against
one of the folding tables.
"Are those bolts of cloth?"
said Smoking Breath.
"Four of them, for
making prayer ties,"
Boss White said.
"I will take charge of
those," said the shaman.
"I got some clothes, too,
stuff that should fit lots
of people," Shiv said.
"Plus a few books."
"I'll take the cookbooks,"
said Wilma. "Dictionaries
can go to the school, they
never have enough of those."
"Storybooks?" Smoking Breath said,
picking up one of the colorful volumes.
"Yeah, only those don't have words,
just some pictures that tell a story,"
Shiv said. "My relatives like to use
them because they work can with
Irish or Esperanto or whatever."
"Or Omaha," said Smoking Breath.
"These go to the language nest."
By the time they had everything
dragged out of the truck and
onto the tables, Wilma's crew
had arrived to take the food
and related things over to
the Food Distribution Center.
"How are you feeling now?"
Boss White asked Shiv.
"Some better," Shiv said,
wiping his hands on his pants.
"Still pretty sticky, but not quite
as bad as it was this morning."
"Problem?" said Smoking Breath.
"You know how it is," Shiv said
with a shrug. "You shovel shit, you
don't come home smelling of roses."
"Perhaps we can help you with
that," the shaman said. "How is
your heat tolerance, Little Lynx?"
"Okay, I guess," Shiv said. "Well,
I have to stay out of the sun
or else I cook like a shrimp."
Smoking Breath chuckled.
"I meant heat from steam."
"I like steam," Shiv said.
"It's nice in winter, coming
home where I can steam up
the bathroom if I want to."
"Then I think this will work
for you," said Smoking Breath.
"Come and sweat with us. It
will make your soul feel clean."
Shiv was pretty damn sure
that rag wasn't ever coming
clean, if he even had one,
but it was worth a try.
"Yeah, okay," he said.
"Now, it's the custom of
men and women to sweat
separately, because we go into
the lodge naked as we were
born --" Smoking Breath said.
"Aaaand I've just changed
my mind," Shiv backpedaled.
"-- but I don't think you would
feel comfortable with that, so I'll
ask if Gentle Hawk will lead one,"
the shaman went on. "Two-spirits
often wear clothes in the lodge."
Shiv perked up at that. He'd
heard of those, and even met
a few. Two-spirit seemed like
a catchall term for gay, trans,
and the rest of the QUILTBAG.
"Then yeah, I can work
with that," he said.
"You sure about this?"
Boss White asked.
"Heck no, but I gotta try
something," Shiv said.
"That is a good way to look
at this," said Smoking Breath.
Then Shiv glanced down at
his polo shirt and cargo shorts.
"I dunno if these'll work in there,
and I don't have anything else
to change into," he said.
"You can find something
at the clothing bank while I
call Gentle Hawk and ask for
his help," said Smoking Breath.
The clothing bank was inside
the Tribal Administration building,
just a room with blankets and clothes
stacked on tables or stuffed in boxes.
Shiv picked out a plain gray T-shirt
and long quick-dry shorts that
had a soft lining in them.
After that, Smoking Breath
took them out to a grassy field
that held a tipi along with
several small half-domes
made of bent branches with
blankets draped over the top.
Not far away, a wide creek
rippled and sparkled in the sun.
A gingery coyote looked at Shiv,
dropped its jaw in a pink laugh,
then disappeared into the grass.
Gentle Hawk was there with
his wife Butterfly Woman.
Shiv remembered them,
a little, from the powwow
and other visits -- especially
the woman, who had danced
in orange butterfly regalia.
They both had something
quiet about them, and
they reminded Shiv
a little bit of Rosie.
Today both of them
wore long shorts and
sleeveless shirts made
from unbleached linen.
Gentle Hawk explained
a few things about how
the sweat lodge would
work, and then he did
a quick health check.
"Remember, if you feel
too hot or get sick, just
say, 'All my relatives,' and
I'll let in some cool air,"
said Gentle Hawk.
"Got it," Shiv said,
hoping he'd be fine.
"I'll sit out here and
keep an eye on you,
if you don't mind that,"
Boss White suggested.
"Yes, please," said Shiv.
"That'd make me feel better."
He felt nervous about going
into a sweat lodge with folks
he didn't know well, but it was
better than going naked.
Of course, since nothing
was ever simple, they weren't
the only ones who showed up.
Three of the Iron Horses were
in town, and they wanted to do
a sweat lodge with Smoking Breath.
Shiv would have argued over that,
but it turned out they had heard about
his delivery, and Ben had brought
one of the big arm-sized rolls of
salmon pemmican as a thank-you.
Since Shiv really didn't want
to get on his supplier's bad side,
he'd take Ron, who was sometimes
solid and sometimes spacey, and
Mick, who was sometimes funny
and sometimes a pain in the ass.
Besides, Ron was a drummer
and that was supposed to be
useful even if he was going
into the men's sweat lodge.
It didn't take long to set up
the fire and heat the rocks.
The door into the sweat lodge
was so small that everyone had
to get down and crawl into it.
Once the flap was closed,
the inside was dark and warm,
with a center pit for the hot rocks
and blankets layered around
the edge for folks to sit on.
Bunches of cedar and
sweetgrass hung from
the ceiling in places.
Gentle Hawk placed
the hot rocks in the pit
and poured water on them.
Clouds of steam billowed up,
fragrant with sage and
something bittersweet ...
red willow, perhaps.
Shiv rather liked it.
He had tried out
a steam sauna at
the pool a few times,
but this was nicer.
It felt cozy and
quiet and as safe
as anything did.
Plus he didn't have
to worry about anyone
groping him here, so
that was great too.
Gentle Hawk sang,
and somewhere
nearby a drum
began to play.
Since Shiv didn't
understand much of
the Omaha language,
most of the songs went
over his head, except
the ones in English, but
that was fine by him.
He wasn't really
into the god stuff.
He liked the sound
of the songs, though,
and he liked not having
to think about anything.
Now and then the flap
lifted, letting in cool air
and more hot rocks.
They passed a pipe
around the lodge.
Shiv took a hit and
immediately felt dizzy.
That was some really
strong tobacco.
He kind of felt as
if he was melting,
but it couldn't be pot
in the smoking blend,
because he wasn't
also starving.
Butterfly Woman
was humming along
with Gentle Hawk's song,
and Shiv let himself
drift a little with it.
Eventually the song
reached a peak and
then faded away.
Shiv felt oddly lighter.
They crawled out of
the sweat lodge into
the dazzling spring sun.
Shiv made it to his feet,
but everything still
felt kind of melty.
"Come splash
in the creek and
that will help you
get back in your skin,"
said Butterfly Woman.
"Okay," Shiv said,
and followed him.
The bank was low and
thick with yellow grass
just starting to green up.
The blue water reflected
the sky, mirror-smooth
in some places and
rippling in others.
Butterfly Woman
and Gentle Hawk
both jumped right in.
Shiv was more cautious,
dipping his toes in first.
The water was freezing,
but he was hot and sticky
and felt half-tempted
to do more than dabble.
Then someone shoved
him into the water.
Shiv yowled, scrambling
to get his feet under him.
The water was fucking frigid
and he was already shivering.
It wasn't deep, though --
not even knee deep, since
it hadn't rained in a week.
"Mick, you idiot," Ben snarled,
whapping him over the head.
Hissing at the way his clothes
clung to his skin, Shiv sloshed
his way back to the shore.
"Are you all right?" Ron said,
holding out a hand to him.
Shiv wasn't too proud
to take it; the last thing
he needed now was
to slip and fall back in.
Ron hauled him easily
up onto the dry grass.
Suddenly Shiv realized
that he felt bright and
clean, as sparkling
as the creek below.
No wonder people
said a sweat lodge
worked just like magic.
"I'm okay," Shiv said.
"Thanks for the hand."
Then he glared at Mick.
"That was a dick move."
"Coyote," Mick said, laughing.
"The fuck does that mean?"
Shiv snapped. "You keep
messin' with me, you're
liable to lose a finger, jerk!"
"Coyote never loses," Mick said.
"Because I change the rules of
the games my enemies play." He
gave Shiv an even look. "What
are the rules of your game?"
"What rules?" Shiv snarked back.
"And yet you don't play stickball,"
Mick said, shaking his head. "Pity."
"I don't like being hit," Shiv said.
"You wanna play with knives,
well now, that's different."
He liked the knife-throwing
and hatchet-throwing games.
"Some other time, maybe,"
Mick said. "Just remember
that Coyote never loses."
Shiv snorted. "We'll
see about that," he said.
Boss White brought
a blanket for him
to dry off with.
It made his skin
feel more alive.
"I hope you're
feeling better now,"
Boss White said.
"Yeah, I really am,"
said Shiv. "Coming
here was a good idea."
Gentle Hawk and
Butterfly Woman
were also helping
each other get dry.
Shiv ducked into
the tipi to change
into his own clothes.
Coyote never loses,
he mused. A cool trick.
He wondered if he could learn it.
* * *
Notes:
This poem is long, so its character, setting, and content notes will appear separately.
zianuray. It also fills the "WILD CARD: Coyote" square in my 8-1-22 card for the Reel Time Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by a pool with ng_moonmoth. It belongs to the Shiv thread of the Polychrome Heroics series."Coyote Never Loses"
[Thursday, April 17, 2015]
Shiv felt filthy.
He had finished
the assignment
and then helped
clean up the mess.
He had taken his share
of the liberated funds
as a hazard bonus.
Nobody (at least
on their side) had
even gotten hurt.
Shiv still felt like he
had spent the morning
cleaning out the johns.
That mark had been
a complete sleazebucket,
and it seemed like that
got all over everything
and everyone around him.
Shiv tried taking a shower.
He even tried using some of
the lavender salt scrubby stuff
he'd learned about from the Finns.
That helped ... a little. Not enough.
Shiv put on something presentable,
ran a comb through his still-wet hair,
and went downstairs to see Boss White.
"You okay there?" Dymin asked when
Shiv showed up in front of her desk.
"Not really," Shiv said. "Can I
talk with the boss, or is he busy?"
"He'll make time for you,"
Dymin assured him.
"Go right on back."
Shiv found Boss White
sitting behind his desk.
"Thought I might see you
down here," Boss White said.
"I didn't want to interrupt if you
could sort through it yourself."
"Yeah, no," Shiv said, rubbing
his hands along his arms.
"I still feel dirty inside."
"What things have you
already tried to deal with
that?" said Boss White.
"I took a shower and used
that lavender salt scrub,"
Shiv said. "It helped, but
not as much as I hoped."
Boss White held out a hand.
"All right, let me take a look."
"Okay," Shiv said as he
took hold, trying not to cling.
"Yeah, that's a bit of a mess,"
Boss White said. "Do you
have any more ideas?"
"I don't want the loot,"
Shiv said. "I know, I know,
it's a bonus and I earned it,
but I don't want anything
from that dick. I mean it."
"Have you thought about
buying something, so it's not
just cash?" said Boss White.
"Thought about it, didn't
feel any better," Shiv said.
"What about passing it along to
someone else?" said Boss White.
Shiv wrinkled his nose. "That's
dirty money, boss, I don't want
to pass along my problems."
"Money can be laundered,"
Boss White pointed out.
"I don't know, maybe?"
Shiv said with a frown.
"Buy something with it
and then give that away?"
Boss White suggested.
"Oh yeah," Shiv said,
brightening. "I think
that might work out."
"Feels like it could,"
Boss White said as
he rubbed the back of
Shiv's hand. "You got
any ideas about who?"
"Not really," said Shiv.
"I don't think that just
dropping it into a bin
for some charity would
help very much, either."
"Hmm," said Boss White.
"How about the Omaha?
They're allies, they always
need whatever they can get,
and -- while we won't share
details -- they sure are happy
to pull one over on The Man."
"Yeah, okay," Shiv said.
"I would like to try that."
"Come on," said Boss White.
"We'll hit the Hospitality Shop
and load up the truck there."
Shiv trotted along beside him
as they went to the parking lot.
They hopped into the truck
and drove to the store, which
was where they bought a lot
of the stuff for Blues Moon.
It had all kinds of bulk goods
for restaurants, hotels, and
other hospitality businesses.
When they went inside,
Boss White waved a hand
and a clerk trotted over.
"May I help you?" she said.
"We are stocking up today,"
said Boss White. "Please
assign us a flatbed cart and
someone to do heavy lifting."
They wound up with a guy
whose muscles had muscles,
driving a power-assist cart.
"Do you have things in mind,
do you want suggestions, or
what?" Boss White asked Shiv.
"Maybe walk around the store
and see what looks good today,"
said Shiv. "Some inventory is
stable, but some shifts a lot."
"Good idea," said Boss White.
"Let's see how you do, then."
Well, okay, Shiv had gotten
enough lessons about budgeting
to have some idea about how far
the stupid loot should get him.
He pulled out his smartphone
and then brought up the app
for his shopping calculator.
He veered left through one of
the snack aisles so he didn't have
to cut across people waiting in line
at the checkout lanes, but he didn't
pick up any of the junk food there.
Shiv had eaten out of food pantries
often enough to know which things
held the most value and which didn't.
He started in the Pharmacy section,
as vitamins were always helpful when
you didn't necessarily know where
your next meal was coming from.
Then he spotted the LadyPax case
and another familiar box beside it,
and grabbed one of each. That'd
be a hell of a thing to run out of.
"I admit that's a surprise,"
Boss White said, chuckling.
"What?" said Shiv. "This is
the brand that Heron carries as
a party monitor, I figure he knows
what he's doing. The other one
is Luci's favorite brand that I've
had under my sink for months."
"All right, you thought it through,"
said Boss White. "Good job."
Shiv barely glanced at the Bakery.
The Meat department was tempting,
but he didn't want to take anything
that needed to stay cold or frozen.
He slowed down for the Produce area,
though, scanning it like a farmer's market.
There were 50-pound bags of potatoes
and onions that would keep well and
would work in many different recipes.
"One of each in red, white, and yellow
of potatoes and onions," Shiv said,
and the muscle guy went to work
stacking those on the flatbed.
He spotted Granny Smith apples
in half-bushel boxes. "Two of those,"
he added. They were good keepers,
great for baking whole or in pies.
Shiv went past the frozen
and refrigerated foods, then
slowed to check canned goods.
They had normal-sized cans
bundled in big boxes, but they
also had the huge cans that
Cook used in the kitchen.
"What do you think, boss?"
Shiv asked. "Little cans,
big cans, or some of both?"
"How about little cans for
what folks eat plain, and
big cans that can be used as
ingredients for feast food?"
Boss White suggested.
"Good idea," Shiv said. He
picked out cases of soup and
canned spaghetti, then big cans
of tomato sauce, diced tomatoes,
chili beans, hominy, applesauce,
and pumpkin both plain and spiced.
From there he moved to the aisle
with big bags of dry beans and rice.
"Boss, do you know what kind of
beans the Omaha like?" said Shiv.
"All's I noticed was 'beans' in general."
"We have true red cranberry beans,
that's a tribal variety," said the shop guy.
"Let's see, I've also seen black beans,
white beans, pintos, and black-eyed peas,"
Boss White said. "Maybe throw in some
of those bean soup mixed bags, too."
Most of those came in 50-pound bags.
The mixed beans only went up to
5-pound bags, but you could get
those by the case, so that worked.
Then Shiv added brown rice and
white rice for complete protein.
Good thing that they had gotten
a power-assist cart to haul it all.
Next came the baking ingredients.
Salt, sugar, and flour were all useful,
but hadn't there been something
about frybread being bad for you?
Cornmeal, though, that was
a healthy whole-grain food
and it came in the big bags.
He threw in cacao powder,
too, the clinical-grade kind that
Mrs. Dr. G liked to cook with,
because who didn't love that?
Shiv hesitated over the next aisle
of cleaning supplies, which were
always useful, then shook his head.
Those things were just too bulky.
The furniture department
piqued his interest, but
those were even bigger.
"Check out that sale,"
Boss White said, pointing.
"Folding tables and chairs."
"Can't have too many of those,"
Shiv said. "We'll take four sets
of four chairs, and four tables."
"Sir, this cart is filling up, and it's
all food so far," said the muscle guy.
"Shall I call someone else for furniture?"
"Yes, please," said Boss White. "Just
run that up to the front to wait for us."
So they didn't even have to hang around
while the furniture was getting loaded.
The aisle of kitchen equipment was
mesmerizing, and Shiv wasn't
sure how to sort through it.
"Seems kinda wrong to bring
this much food and nothing
to cook it in, but I don't know
where to start," Shiv said.
"How about things that are
hard to find in a regular store,"
Boss White said. "Look up top
at those great big stockpots."
"Oh yeah, and the roaster pans,"
Shiv said, having spotted those
on a shelf closer to his own reach.
He picked the biggest of each type,
then added some of the largest crockpot
and another with three different pots.
They drifted past Appliances, and
then into Electronics. Shiv felt
half-tempted to pick up some
of the laptops or something.
He didn't know the good ones,
though, and no way in hell was
he asking the Finns about this.
The fabric and craft section
had fleece blankets tacked up
on the wall, some of them printed
with gorgeous nature pictures.
"What about those?" Shiv said.
"Think we could hunt up the bolts?"
"Not blankets," Boss White said quietly.
"There's some bad history there."
"Oh right, I think I heard about
that shit in school," Shiv said,
shuddering. "Germs and all."
"That's right," said Boss White.
"So we never send blankets unless
they come inside a sterile seal."
Shiv wondered if he could cadge
a bundle of Microfyne that way,
but he could suss that out later.
"Should we just skip the fabric
altogether, then?" Shiv said.
"No, other kinds of cloth are
fine," said Boss White. "I like
to take red, green, yellow, blue --
the four sacred colors in Omaha."
"Let's fan out, we'll find them
faster that way," Shiv decided.
"Material, sir?" said the shop guy.
"Cotton, linen, or wool is best,"
said Boss White. "Natural fibers."
The linen only came in a few colors,
but a rainbow of cotton made it
easy to pick out the four bolts.
That was the last corner
of the Hospitality Shop, so
they headed into the middle.
The clothing section offered
a riot of different designs.
Shiv grabbed a few cases
of socks and T-shirts in
assorted sizes, since they
would suit almost everyone.
The book department made
him stop and think again.
He wasn't much of a reader,
but maybe he didn't need to be.
Looking over the tables piled high
with books, he found cookbooks
by Better Homes and Gardens plus
collections from Edible Health and
Forage, two of his favorite magazines.
Shiv added a few dictionaries, since
people had homework even if they
didn't like reading very much.
He found a whole row of
wordless storybooks based
on pictures, which worked in
any language -- he'd seen some
of these books at the Finn houses.
Shiv picked the ones that had
the most interesting art inside.
Checking his app, he found
that he had spent almost but
not quite everything, allowing
for the sales tax at the register.
Looking around for inspiration,
Shiv spotted Lawn & Garden.
"Anybody see something good?"
he asked. "Garden tools, games?"
"This year's games aren't great,"
the shop guy said. "Something else?"
"These lawn chairs are made from
all recycled materials," Boss White said,
pointing to a colorful display of them.
Shiv did a quick calculation. "That'll do,"
he said, and picked out four of them.
"Sir, I don't think these will fit on
the current cart," the shop guy said.
"Shall I call for another flatbed?"
"Nah, I got this," Shiv said
as he picked up two of them.
"We're done here anyhow.
Boss, can you get the others
or do we really need a new cart?"
"I'm good," Boss White said,
lifting the last two lawn chairs.
"Let's head to checkout now."
It took a while to ring up
all the purchases and box
those not already in cases.
There was very little left
of the unwanted loot, so
Shiv simply cashed it out and
handed it to the shop guy as
as tip for hauling their stuff.
They got everything packed
into the truck in short order.
"Nice day for a drive,"
Boss White said as they
pulled out of the parking lot.
It was, really, a clear spring sky
over grass just turning green.
The countryside was dotted
with a few spring flowers,
and where they passed
farmhouses, daffodils and
tulips danced in the wind.
On the way into the reservation,
Boss White called Smoking Breath,
who asked them to meet him at
the Tribal Headquarters, since
that building wasn't far from
the Food Distribution Center.
When they pulled into
the parking lot, the shaman
was waiting for them, along
with an unfamiliar woman.
Shiv climbed out, wary
and restless but willing
to see what happened.
"This is Wilma Many Corn,
our food educator over at
the Food Distribution Center,"
said Smoking Breath. "Wilma,
this is Mr. White and Little Lynx,
who are bringing gifts from the city."
That Indian nickname sure had stuck,
but Shiv had to admit he kinda liked it.
"Actually, this whole batch comes
from Shiv," Boss White explained.
Shiv shuffled in place. "I uh, had stuff
I really wanted to hand off, after pulling
one over on a guy who deserved it."
"Thank you," said Smoking Breath.
"Wilma will sort out the food and
find a team to take care of it.
I'll see what's left after that."
"There's a lot of food,
some cookware, and uh,
she might want to take
the lady stuff," said Shiv.
Wilma looked into the truck
and exclaimed, "Did you
bring moon supplies?"
"Well, yeah, I got a sister,
I figured they'd be useful,"
Shiv said, scuffing a hand
through his hair. "Is that
weird? Boss, you didn't
tell me that was weird."
"Not weird, just impressive,"
Wilma said. "Thank you
very much. These are
hard to keep in stock."
"I got some tables and
chairs --" Shiv went on.
"Oh, let's open those and
use them for sorting things,"
said Smoking Breath. "We'll
store them in the headquarters
after we're done with them."
So they pried open the boxes,
then set up tables and a few chairs.
That did make it easier to sort
all of the stuff that everyone
was pulling out the truck.
Shiv found the lawn chairs
and leaned them against
one of the folding tables.
"Are those bolts of cloth?"
said Smoking Breath.
"Four of them, for
making prayer ties,"
Boss White said.
"I will take charge of
those," said the shaman.
"I got some clothes, too,
stuff that should fit lots
of people," Shiv said.
"Plus a few books."
"I'll take the cookbooks,"
said Wilma. "Dictionaries
can go to the school, they
never have enough of those."
"Storybooks?" Smoking Breath said,
picking up one of the colorful volumes.
"Yeah, only those don't have words,
just some pictures that tell a story,"
Shiv said. "My relatives like to use
them because they work can with
Irish or Esperanto or whatever."
"Or Omaha," said Smoking Breath.
"These go to the language nest."
By the time they had everything
dragged out of the truck and
onto the tables, Wilma's crew
had arrived to take the food
and related things over to
the Food Distribution Center.
"How are you feeling now?"
Boss White asked Shiv.
"Some better," Shiv said,
wiping his hands on his pants.
"Still pretty sticky, but not quite
as bad as it was this morning."
"Problem?" said Smoking Breath.
"You know how it is," Shiv said
with a shrug. "You shovel shit, you
don't come home smelling of roses."
"Perhaps we can help you with
that," the shaman said. "How is
your heat tolerance, Little Lynx?"
"Okay, I guess," Shiv said. "Well,
I have to stay out of the sun
or else I cook like a shrimp."
Smoking Breath chuckled.
"I meant heat from steam."
"I like steam," Shiv said.
"It's nice in winter, coming
home where I can steam up
the bathroom if I want to."
"Then I think this will work
for you," said Smoking Breath.
"Come and sweat with us. It
will make your soul feel clean."
Shiv was pretty damn sure
that rag wasn't ever coming
clean, if he even had one,
but it was worth a try.
"Yeah, okay," he said.
"Now, it's the custom of
men and women to sweat
separately, because we go into
the lodge naked as we were
born --" Smoking Breath said.
"Aaaand I've just changed
my mind," Shiv backpedaled.
"-- but I don't think you would
feel comfortable with that, so I'll
ask if Gentle Hawk will lead one,"
the shaman went on. "Two-spirits
often wear clothes in the lodge."
Shiv perked up at that. He'd
heard of those, and even met
a few. Two-spirit seemed like
a catchall term for gay, trans,
and the rest of the QUILTBAG.
"Then yeah, I can work
with that," he said.
"You sure about this?"
Boss White asked.
"Heck no, but I gotta try
something," Shiv said.
"That is a good way to look
at this," said Smoking Breath.
Then Shiv glanced down at
his polo shirt and cargo shorts.
"I dunno if these'll work in there,
and I don't have anything else
to change into," he said.
"You can find something
at the clothing bank while I
call Gentle Hawk and ask for
his help," said Smoking Breath.
The clothing bank was inside
the Tribal Administration building,
just a room with blankets and clothes
stacked on tables or stuffed in boxes.
Shiv picked out a plain gray T-shirt
and long quick-dry shorts that
had a soft lining in them.
After that, Smoking Breath
took them out to a grassy field
that held a tipi along with
several small half-domes
made of bent branches with
blankets draped over the top.
Not far away, a wide creek
rippled and sparkled in the sun.
A gingery coyote looked at Shiv,
dropped its jaw in a pink laugh,
then disappeared into the grass.
Gentle Hawk was there with
his wife Butterfly Woman.
Shiv remembered them,
a little, from the powwow
and other visits -- especially
the woman, who had danced
in orange butterfly regalia.
They both had something
quiet about them, and
they reminded Shiv
a little bit of Rosie.
Today both of them
wore long shorts and
sleeveless shirts made
from unbleached linen.
Gentle Hawk explained
a few things about how
the sweat lodge would
work, and then he did
a quick health check.
"Remember, if you feel
too hot or get sick, just
say, 'All my relatives,' and
I'll let in some cool air,"
said Gentle Hawk.
"Got it," Shiv said,
hoping he'd be fine.
"I'll sit out here and
keep an eye on you,
if you don't mind that,"
Boss White suggested.
"Yes, please," said Shiv.
"That'd make me feel better."
He felt nervous about going
into a sweat lodge with folks
he didn't know well, but it was
better than going naked.
Of course, since nothing
was ever simple, they weren't
the only ones who showed up.
Three of the Iron Horses were
in town, and they wanted to do
a sweat lodge with Smoking Breath.
Shiv would have argued over that,
but it turned out they had heard about
his delivery, and Ben had brought
one of the big arm-sized rolls of
salmon pemmican as a thank-you.
Since Shiv really didn't want
to get on his supplier's bad side,
he'd take Ron, who was sometimes
solid and sometimes spacey, and
Mick, who was sometimes funny
and sometimes a pain in the ass.
Besides, Ron was a drummer
and that was supposed to be
useful even if he was going
into the men's sweat lodge.
It didn't take long to set up
the fire and heat the rocks.
The door into the sweat lodge
was so small that everyone had
to get down and crawl into it.
Once the flap was closed,
the inside was dark and warm,
with a center pit for the hot rocks
and blankets layered around
the edge for folks to sit on.
Bunches of cedar and
sweetgrass hung from
the ceiling in places.
Gentle Hawk placed
the hot rocks in the pit
and poured water on them.
Clouds of steam billowed up,
fragrant with sage and
something bittersweet ...
red willow, perhaps.
Shiv rather liked it.
He had tried out
a steam sauna at
the pool a few times,
but this was nicer.
It felt cozy and
quiet and as safe
as anything did.
Plus he didn't have
to worry about anyone
groping him here, so
that was great too.
Gentle Hawk sang,
and somewhere
nearby a drum
began to play.
Since Shiv didn't
understand much of
the Omaha language,
most of the songs went
over his head, except
the ones in English, but
that was fine by him.
He wasn't really
into the god stuff.
He liked the sound
of the songs, though,
and he liked not having
to think about anything.
Now and then the flap
lifted, letting in cool air
and more hot rocks.
They passed a pipe
around the lodge.
Shiv took a hit and
immediately felt dizzy.
That was some really
strong tobacco.
He kind of felt as
if he was melting,
but it couldn't be pot
in the smoking blend,
because he wasn't
also starving.
Butterfly Woman
was humming along
with Gentle Hawk's song,
and Shiv let himself
drift a little with it.
Eventually the song
reached a peak and
then faded away.
Shiv felt oddly lighter.
They crawled out of
the sweat lodge into
the dazzling spring sun.
Shiv made it to his feet,
but everything still
felt kind of melty.
"Come splash
in the creek and
that will help you
get back in your skin,"
said Butterfly Woman.
"Okay," Shiv said,
and followed him.
The bank was low and
thick with yellow grass
just starting to green up.
The blue water reflected
the sky, mirror-smooth
in some places and
rippling in others.
Butterfly Woman
and Gentle Hawk
both jumped right in.
Shiv was more cautious,
dipping his toes in first.
The water was freezing,
but he was hot and sticky
and felt half-tempted
to do more than dabble.
Then someone shoved
him into the water.
Shiv yowled, scrambling
to get his feet under him.
The water was fucking frigid
and he was already shivering.
It wasn't deep, though --
not even knee deep, since
it hadn't rained in a week.
"Mick, you idiot," Ben snarled,
whapping him over the head.
Hissing at the way his clothes
clung to his skin, Shiv sloshed
his way back to the shore.
"Are you all right?" Ron said,
holding out a hand to him.
Shiv wasn't too proud
to take it; the last thing
he needed now was
to slip and fall back in.
Ron hauled him easily
up onto the dry grass.
Suddenly Shiv realized
that he felt bright and
clean, as sparkling
as the creek below.
No wonder people
said a sweat lodge
worked just like magic.
"I'm okay," Shiv said.
"Thanks for the hand."
Then he glared at Mick.
"That was a dick move."
"Coyote," Mick said, laughing.
"The fuck does that mean?"
Shiv snapped. "You keep
messin' with me, you're
liable to lose a finger, jerk!"
"Coyote never loses," Mick said.
"Because I change the rules of
the games my enemies play." He
gave Shiv an even look. "What
are the rules of your game?"
"What rules?" Shiv snarked back.
"And yet you don't play stickball,"
Mick said, shaking his head. "Pity."
"I don't like being hit," Shiv said.
"You wanna play with knives,
well now, that's different."
He liked the knife-throwing
and hatchet-throwing games.
"Some other time, maybe,"
Mick said. "Just remember
that Coyote never loses."
Shiv snorted. "We'll
see about that," he said.
Boss White brought
a blanket for him
to dry off with.
It made his skin
feel more alive.
"I hope you're
feeling better now,"
Boss White said.
"Yeah, I really am,"
said Shiv. "Coming
here was a good idea."
Gentle Hawk and
Butterfly Woman
were also helping
each other get dry.
Shiv ducked into
the tipi to change
into his own clothes.
Coyote never loses,
he mused. A cool trick.
He wondered if he could learn it.
* * *
Notes:
This poem is long, so its character, setting, and content notes will appear separately.
(no subject)
Date: 2022-09-28 02:22 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2022-09-28 02:48 pm (UTC)Also, while I can't really point to a meter in your free verse, I do love the way the pace slows during the sweat lodge scene.
(no subject)
Date: 2022-09-28 02:49 pm (UTC)Thoughts
Date: 2022-09-28 07:47 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2022-09-28 05:41 pm (UTC)Oh, I loved this. I have been away from this and other blogs for a long time, and I'm glad to have come back now. Don't know if I'll be able to keep up with you and others, but it's really nice to be in touch sometimes.
Thank you!
Date: 2022-09-28 07:49 pm (UTC)I'm happy to hear that.
>> I have been away from this and other blogs for a long time, and I'm glad to have come back now.<<
It's good to see you back.
>> Don't know if I'll be able to keep up with you and others, but it's really nice to be in touch sometimes.<<
For occasional access, I recommend:
* Check the first Tuesday of each month for a Poetry Fishbowl.
* Check 2 weeks after that for a half-price sale or bonus fishbowl.
* Use the Poem tag to catch up on poems you missed earlier.
(no subject)
Date: 2022-09-29 02:13 pm (UTC)and exclaimed, "Did you
bring moon supplies?"<<
Shiv's a good guy friend.
Now I wonder if there'd ever be a situation where someone tries to bug him and all his female realtives-friends-and-coworkers nearby dogpile the guy.
Thoughts
Date: 2022-09-29 06:57 pm (UTC)He is that. Part of why is that he wasn't socialized the usual way growing up, so his gender imprint isn't exactly usual. Another part is that when he did find people worth emulating, he got a spread of men who also aren't the usual macho kind: Boss White, Ambrose, Dr. G., Simon, Tolli, Heron, etc.
Shiv's relationships with women are different than the usual too, so him citing Heron and Luci as inspiration really tells you where his head is coming from. He thinks of moon supplies as a normal thing, or at least, no more gross than another first aid supplies. He doesn't seem to file them in a separate "do not touch" category like most men do.
>> Now I wonder if there'd ever be a situation where someone tries to bug him and all his female realtives-friends-and-coworkers nearby dogpile the guy.<<
*ponder* Oh yeah. It's most likely to come up at work. Since Shiv sometimes works as security rather than just waiting tables, he's very protective of the ladies at Blues Moon -- which they would return in spades if they caught someone hassling him.
By all means, ask for this in any relevant prompt call.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2022-09-29 10:51 pm (UTC)I think you can see this if someone transplants into a different culture as well. The newly-transplanted person will pick up a specific cultural imprint from whoever they are commonly associating with, which is not always the same as what one would get being raised in that culture.
A smaller sample size of people to imprint from, for starters, and also, your mentors will likely have different demographic characteristics than yourself. In a case where a guy is learning a new culture while surrounded by women and feminist men, you get an imprint where "No" means listen, instead of arguing and cussing.
>>It's most likely to come up at work.<<
I think Dymin actually did a bit of protectiveness when she met Heron, thigh it might not have been for Shiv specifically. I kind of read that as her testing out how he would react around someone 'helpless.' (She isn't helpless, but the average guy-on-the-street wouldn't know that.) If he'd leered, he'd have failed, if he'd been interested but polite, maybe watching. His actual reaction though was a definite pass.
And Luci has definitely displayed a Big Sister Instinct towards him.
>>Since Shiv sometimes works as security rather than just waiting tables, he's very protective of the ladies at Blues Moon -- which they would return in spades if they caught someone hassling him.<<
Well, he also hates sexual harassment and rapists, and not in the usual White Knight "protecting my womenfolk" way. (Very annoying, that behavior is.) Anyway, his attitude provides another opportunity for a mutual circling the wagons scenario.
And he is very good at the bouncer job, and looking out for female guests while on that job. You know, I'll betcha Blues Moon starts getting referrals because of that. :)
Love it!
Date: 2022-10-01 07:43 pm (UTC)"Come splash
in the creek and
that will help you
get back in your skin,"
said Butterfly Woman.
"Okay," Shiv said,
and followed him.
proess
Date: 2022-10-01 07:46 pm (UTC)Re: proess
Date: 2022-10-01 08:36 pm (UTC)Yay! He had a pretty specific plan in mind. It's not necessarily the best or only plan -- I probably would've gone for the biggest hunks of frozen meat, which is hard to get on government support but great for feeding a crowd and stays frozen for hours or days. But Shiv's focus on pantry goods is also logical, because that way things can be handed out to people and will keep a long time. Beans and rice, for instance, come from his poorskills. Throwing in long-storage produce like potatoes, onions, and Granny Smith apples is a good variation.
>> Like it or not, he's growing up! <<
Very true. Earlier on, he couldn't have managed that much decision-making.