FOLK COLLECTION 11: The Skaggs Foundation Cowboy Poetry Collection

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Tokens in an Indian Graveyard

FC 11 H-57

Linda Hussa

Homage

In gentle light like this, the uncut meadow meets me at the gate in a high uneven beauty. I begin cutting hay. On a mid-morning round a bird's nest rests on top the windrow as if set down by a breeze.

eggshell, weaving, quail, cupped hands

Tokens in an Indian Graveyard

FC 11 H-57

Linda Hussa

Julia DeGarmo

Stands looking at my Bronco, the rope cinched dwon, trying the hood shut. "Why are you doing that?" By now we are both chuckling. I tell her the hinge broke and the hood flew open.

Indian car, wind, canyon, white people

Tokens in an Indian Graveyard

FC 11 H-57

Linda Hussa

Clarence DeGarmo

Steps in front of my Bronco As I turn the corner beside the Lowell Store. "Want to buy a reeeel gen-u-ine Indian artifact?" In a small box, three arrowheads chipped from dark blue glass.

ExLax, death, dollar

Tokens in an Indian Graveyard

FC 11 H-57

Linda Hussa

Hide Trader

Arthur Dunn and I crawl into the haymow of our old barn pulling flint deer hides down from the rafters, cobwebs stringing from our hair, dust.

Hussy, butcher shops, wienies, Avis

Tokens in an Indian Graveyard

FC 11 H-57

Linda Hussa

Things You Pick Up at the Post Office

Your dad taught me to cook steaks, John. Walter was always there cookin steaks for FFA or everywhere. I helped him at the barbeques.

Dan Mesa, medium, well, rare, happy

Tokens in an Indian Graveyard

FC 11 H-57

Linda Hussa

Day Work In Modoc-1971

The flower shop advertised for an imaginative, talented, co-operative part-time employee. They hired me instead. After-here's your station, keep all costs under 50% of value

funeral florals, boss, cumtomer, policy, flower

Tokens in an Indian Graveyard

FC 11 H-57

Linda Hussa

Working the Grass

The coyote hangs still as sunlight above the golden grass divining the tremble of a mole from the crisp unwrapping of oat seeds. Across the ditch a pair of kestrels hover

insects, crown, ditch, seeds

Tokens in an Indian Graveyard

FC 11 H-57

Linda Hussa

Rhinestone Angel

Rhinestone boots on her kitchen counter she laughed as my wide eyes lapped over the surprising power of the glittering stones.

Juanita Townsend McGowan, shoes, feet, Heaven

Tokens in an Indian Graveyard

FC 11 H-57

Linda Hussa

The Un-doing of Heaven's Match

She's returning books borrowed against the echo of an empty house. Never read them, I bet. Doesn't taste the coffee I set before her, doesn't feel the pick-me-up of its intention.

marriage, sorrow, rancher, God, love

Tokens in an Indian Graveyard

FC 11 H-57

Linda Hussa

Ice Breaker In The Tiki Lounge

Since the divorce her sister's been hanging at home with the kids. She hires a babysitter, brings her sparkly makeup, a perfume of discreet allure drags her to the Tiki Lounge.

Christina Morgan, beer, handsome woman

Tokens in an Indian Graveyard

FC 11 H-57

Linda Hussa

One Paiute, One Not

Two ten-year-old boys done with roping chickens, and dogs and men walking by, roped calves, and talked ropes, nothing more, just ropes. One edged ahead, then the other.

rancher, dollars, loops

Tokens in an Indian Graveyard

FC 11 H-57

Linda Hussa

One Blade of Grass

There must be a seed a bit of sweet earth frost for rest light rain on a spring afternoon a leggy ant to cultivate the soil a killdeer to lay her marbled eggs nearby so the grass can sway and listen.

seed, earth, rain, spring, soil

Tokens in an Indian Graveyard

FC 11 H-57

Linda Hussa

Surprise Valley Is Where, Exactly?

We look up at the sky like we're thinking, trying to translate the answer into their urban idea of home. They look up, too, expecting to see a star-map. They say, "I know where Yreka is."

Denio, No pollution, No gang, No crime

Tokens in an Indian Graveyard

FC 11 H-57

Linda Hussa

Cutthroat Trout

Belly fat with eggs she looks up through the limits of her world. Infinity changes with the season.

egg, season, world

Tokens in an Indian Graveyard

FC 11 H-57

Linda Hussa

In 1908

Billy McCluskey half-breed half -horse hired on with Miller and Lux at Soldier Meadows to break horses. He just stayed right there at the corrals. That's all he did was break horses.

Lige Langston, saddle, ride

Tokens in an Indian Graveyard

FC 11 H-57

Linda Hussa

The Staff of Life

One of the buckaroos high-graded a jug of wine and brought it into camp. He filled everybody's cup. He handed one to Billy McCluskey. Billy took a big swig and shuddered,

Pete Crystal, coffee, cup

Tokens in an Indian Graveyard

FC 11 H-57

Linda Hussa

Badger Mountain

Beyond Chinatown sand, bitterbrush, horse brush, shad scale, and a shout of hissing chilled me. I knew no desert beast of such an open-mouthed warning until a four-cornered pillow raced across the broken ground roward my horse.

fetlock, brush, hole, eyes peered

Tokens in an Indian Graveyard

FC 11 H-57

Linda Hussa

An Unexpected Visitor at the Indian School

Those teachers were strict with us little kids. No talking. Tend to your work. One winter day we were practicing penman-ship when all of the sudden someone came running down the hall.

Randy Townsend, Santa Claus, Christmas, candy

Tokens in an Indian Graveyard

FC 11 H-57

Linda Hussa

Neck 'n' Neck

Jimmie Washoe was born in a sagebrush camp near Plush, Oregon about the turn of the century but that didn't slow him down. Neva Lowell was born in 1894 with a silver spoon in her mouth but that didn't slow her down.

half-Chinese, cancer, Black Rock Desert

Tokens in an Indian Graveyard

FC 11 H-57

Linda Hussa

Jimmie Washoe

Being Hospitable, a cowboy at the rodeo laced Jimmie's coffee with whiskey. He didn't know until blood twisted in his stomach. "It poisons me,"

violet, saddle horses, dream

Tokens in an Indian Graveyard

FC 11 H-57

Linda Hussa

The Only Good Indian

Early in the 1800s, wagons began to crawl across the deserts of the Great Basin on shimmering heat like a string of ants following a deadly sweet trail.

Paiute camp, snowmelt, rifles, survivor, baby

Tokens in an Indian Graveyard

FC 11 H-57

Linda Hussa

A Friend Spoke At Jimmie Washoe's Graveside

Jimmie came up and stayed with me, more as he got older. He'd get cranky and Marie'd call, "Come and get him!" He and I talked about old days, old friends. I took him places he wanted to see again.

antelope, half-Chinese, Wild meat, Wild men

Tokens in an Indian Graveyard

FC 11 H-57

Linda Hussa

The Weir

Tonight I open the ditch through the calf lot. Ice breaks into puzzle pieces That will freeze down-never again with this smooth skin. Calves stand at a distance watching.

Geese, hawks, winter

Tokens in an Indian Graveyard

FC 11 H-57

Linda Hussa

Burk, Edsel, Jimmy, and Arthur Brown

For the Brown kids the path from the Cedarville Rancheria to the elementary school took a short-cut through Hussa's yard to Johnny's sand pile with trucks and a loader, bicycle and wagon

noses, Kool-aid, baseball, bat

Tokens in an Indian Graveyard

FC 11 H-57

Linda Hussa

Class Reunion

Burk was the Paiute action hero. When Johnny complained about having to wear suspenders Burk threw them under the lawn mower and lickety-split cut them into a million pieces.

money, classmate, phone, limb, sheriff, drug