From “Bestiary”
BY SHERMAN ALEXIE
My mother sends me a black-and-white
photograph of her and my father, circa
1968, posing with two Indian men.
“Who are those Indian guys?” I ask her
on the phone.
“I don’t know,” she says.
The next obvious question: “Then why
did you send me this photo?” But I don’t
ask it.
One of those strange Indian men is
pointing up toward the sky.
Above them, a bird shaped like a
question mark.
Notes:
This poem originally appeared in “Poetry Not Written for Children that Children Might Nevertheless Enjoy,” by Lemony Snicket.
This poem originally appeared in “Poetry Not Written for Children that Children Might Nevertheless Enjoy,” by Lemony Snicket.
“Bestiary” is reprinted by permission of Ugly Duckling Presse.
Source: Poetry (September 2013)