Poetry

A Bilingual Wahzhazhe ie / English Poem

by  Chelsea T. Hicks
A photograph of a woman in indigenous garb standing on scrub grass hilltop with a painting nearby
Image photographed by Cody Hammer

𐓵𐓣𐓟 𐓣́𐓟 𐓪𐓷𐓘́𐓥𐓘͘𐓬𐓣 𐓥𐓪́͘𐓜𐓘

𐓷𐓘𐓧𐓟́𐓺𐓟 𐓣́𐓟 𐓷𐓘𐓮𐓤𐓘́
𐓨𐓘́͘𐓻𐓘͘ 𐓩𐓣́𐓵𐓟 𐓵𐓟̋𐓤𐓘
𐓩𐓣́𐓥𐓘 𐓵𐓟 𐓘𐓬𐓘 𐓟́ 𐓵𐓣𐓸𐓪́͘ 𐓲𐓟

𐓤𐓘𐓵𐓪͘ 𐓻𐓘́́́͘𐓸𐓟 𐓘𐓵𐓣́͘𐓟 𐓟́ 𐓩𐓘͘𐓸𐓪́͘ 𐓬𐓟
𐓷𐓘𐓧𐓟́𐓺𐓟 𐓣́𐓟 𐓷𐓘𐓮𐓤𐓘́
𐓩𐓣́𐓥𐓘 𐓘𐓬𐓘 𐓷𐓘𐓧𐓶́𐓯𐓤𐓘 𐓡𐓪͘𐓪͘𐓻𐓣 𐓟́𐓤𐓪͘ 𐓪́𐓧𐓣͘ 𐓟𐓲𐓣

𐓩𐓣́𐓥𐓘 𐓵𐓟 𐓘𐓬𐓘 𐓟́ 𐓵𐓣𐓸𐓪́͘ 𐓬𐓟
𐓰𐓘̋𐓰𐓘͘ 𐓵𐓘́𐓧𐓣͘ 𐓵𐓣͘𐓤𐓟́ 𐓟́𐓤𐓣𐓟
𐓩𐓣́𐓥𐓘 𐓵𐓟 𐓘𐓬𐓘 𐓷𐓘𐓧𐓶́𐓯𐓤𐓘 𐓡𐓪͘𐓪͘𐓻𐓣 𐓟́𐓤𐓪͘ 𐓘𐓬𐓙

𐓨𐓘́͘𐓻𐓘͘ 𐓩𐓣́𐓵𐓟 𐓵𐓟̋𐓤𐓘
𐓯𐓟́ 𐓵𐓟 𐓘𐓬𐓘 𐓟́ 𐓵𐓣𐓸𐓪́͘ 𐓬𐓣𐓲𐓟
𐓪́𐓤’𐓘͘ 𐓵𐓘́𐓧𐓣͘ 𐓵𐓣͘𐓤𐓟́ 𐓘𐓵𐓣́͘

𐓰𐓘̋𐓰𐓘͘ 𐓵𐓘́𐓧𐓣͘ 𐓵𐓣͘𐓤𐓟́ 𐓟́𐓤𐓣𐓟
𐓷𐓘𐓻𐓘́𐓻𐓟 𐓣́𐓟 𐓤𐓣́𐓲𐓟𐓵𐓟 𐓱𐓘͘ 𐓘͘𐓤𐓙
𐓷𐓘𐓧𐓟́𐓺𐓟 𐓣́𐓟 𐓷𐓘𐓮𐓤𐓘́

𐓨𐓘́͘𐓻𐓘͘ 𐓩𐓣́𐓵𐓟 𐓵𐓟̋𐓤𐓘
𐓘͘𐓤𐓪𐓟 𐓘͘𐓩𐓘́͘𐓜𐓘 𐓘͘𐓤𐓙 𐓤𐓘́𐓮𐓣͘𐓟𐓸𐓲𐓣͘𐓻𐓣͘ 𐓘͘𐓩𐓘́͘𐓻𐓣 𐓘͘𐓤𐓙
𐓣́𐓟 𐓪𐓘́𐓤𐓣𐓬𐓯𐓟 𐓨𐓣͘𐓤𐓯𐓟́ 𐓟́ 𐓵𐓣́𐓻𐓘͘𐓡𐓘 𐓨𐓣͘𐓤𐓯𐓟

𐓯𐓟́ 𐓵𐓟 𐓻𐓘́́́͘𐓸𐓟 𐓘𐓵𐓣́͘𐓟 𐓟́ 𐓩𐓘͘𐓸𐓪́͘ 𐓬𐓟
𐓰𐓘̋𐓰𐓘͘ 𐓵𐓘́𐓧𐓣͘ 𐓵𐓣͘𐓤𐓟́ 𐓟́𐓤𐓣𐓟
𐓷𐓘𐓻𐓘́𐓻𐓟 𐓣́𐓟 𐓤𐓣́𐓲𐓟𐓵𐓟 𐓱𐓘͘ 𐓘͘𐓤𐓙

𐓩𐓣́ 𐓟𐓤𐓪͘ 𐓘͘𐓷𐓘́𐓯𐓤𐓘͘ 𐓱𐓘͘ 𐓨𐓣͘𐓤𐓯𐓟́ 𐓩𐓣́ 𐓟́𐓤𐓪͘
𐓣́𐓟 𐓪𐓘́𐓤𐓣𐓬𐓯𐓟 𐓨𐓣͘𐓤𐓯𐓟́ 𐓟́ 𐓵𐓣́𐓻𐓘͘𐓡𐓘 𐓨𐓣͘𐓤𐓯𐓟
𐓷𐓘𐓧𐓟́𐓺𐓟 𐓣́𐓟 𐓷𐓘𐓮𐓤𐓘́ 𐓱𐓘͘ 𐓘͘𐓤𐓘𐓰𐓸𐓙

 

 

i want you to help us talk

decode these markings
on this annihilated land
where he broke her with his hands

where he broke with his feet, with a stick
decode these markings
where a bug, a monster lives

that man broke her with his hands
with nothing good to say
a bug, a monster, that man

on this annihilated land
who broke her with his hands
who doesn’t have good ways

with nothing good to say
we will keep our talk
decode these markings

on this annihilated land
having enough we woke early
keeping my word, avoiding him

someone who broke her with a stick
with nothing good to say
we will keep our Osage talk

like water, alive, trying hard
keeping my word, avoiding him
decoding these markings


Chelsea T. Hicks is a Wahzhazhe writer and citizen of the Osage Nation who holds an MA from UC Davis and an MFA from the Institute of American Indian Arts. Her writing has been published in the Paris Review, Poetry, McSweeney’s, and elsewhere. Her first book, A Calm & Normal Heart, was longlisted for the PEN America Robert W. Bingham Prize and received a 5 Under 35 award from the National Book Foundation. She lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on ancestral land.

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