Wanting to Say Things: The Power of Stories
AN ANTHOLOGY OF NATIVE AMERICAN LITERATURE
"Written in Blood" by Tiffany Midge
I surrender to Roget’s Pocket Thesaurus. I confess
my crime of breaking into this container of words
and slaughtering this poem with meta-innuendo.
But I needed something. I wanted to gather the dust
of more than three-hundred men, women and children.
I robbed from this vault of words,
language of the enemy, in hopes I could capture
these people, allow their prayers to reach
Wovoka in the final hour before I end this poem.
I wanted to know that I’m not grieving merely
from the guilt of that European blood that separates
me from two worlds. I need to know
that I can be allowed my grief. Sadly I have failed.
This nineteen-sixty-one Cardinal Edition Thesaurus
I depended upon has betrayed me. Betrayed
my Indian kin. With this language there are times
I feel I’m betraying myself. In my search
for synonyms for murder, I find Cain,
assassin, barbarian, gunman, brute,
hoodlum, killer, executioner, butcher,
savage, Apache, redskin.
Editor's Commentary
In this poem, Tiffany Midge shows the power and failure
of language, giving a double meaning to the common expression “the pen is mightier than the sword.” Depending on how it is used, language has both the ability to enslave as well as the ability to free. Language can also expose the hatred, discrimination, and shortcomings of a society. This poem cautions readers to choose their words carefully while creating their life stories and think about what message their lives are sending.
Many Native American authors choose to write in the English language. On the surface, this may seem ironic because it is the “language of the enemy” and “with this language there are times / I feel I’m betraying myself.” This is actually a smart, courageous tactic. The only way for the “enemy” to listen is by speaking in words they understand. In addition, the debilitating constraints of language intrinsically portray the issues and oppression that many Native authors try to reveal in their writings.