A Taste of the Knife

Marnie Walsh

Originally published in 1976, A Taste Of The Knife by Marnie Walsh remains a fresh and powerful collection of poetry about Native American life in the West. A poetic precursor to Louise Erdrich's novel, Love Medicine, A Taste Of The Knife tells tragic and unsentimental tales of Native Americans during time periods ranging from the 1880's to the 1970's. The initial series in the book, four poems that follow a young woman named Vickie Loans-Arrow from 1970 to 1973, relate the experience of reservation living during a volatile decade. Difficult in the way harsh truth can be, the poems retain a tautness of language and a beauty that never apologize or ask for pity. Walsh's collection is affecting, beautiful, and important.

A sample poem from the book

Vicki Loans-Arrow

1972

this morning

me and my cousin

charlene lost-nation

are in to bobby simons bar

and charlene say

i tired of living

there aint nothing in it

and bobby simon

behind the bar

goes ha ha ha

when she fall off

the stool

im laughing too

she so drunk

she funny

i get her up

then she say

there aint nothing in it

to them old white farmers

drinking their beer

and talking crops

they don't listen

don't even look at her

bobby simon say

i see your mama out front

so we go out

and the sun so yellow

burn my eyes

and make charlenes mama

shiver like shes made

out of water

but it only the wind

all gold color

moving everything in waves

she say goddam you

charlene them kids of yours

come over and i got to

take them in

while you drunk all the time

i aint going to do it

no more

it too damn hot

i watch her shoes all torn

and wrinkly

and her fat legs

floating on the yellow wind

then charlene say

there aint nothing in it

it all plain shit

and we go back in the bar

we drink and she pulls

her face up tight

tells me it don't pay to think

theres something to it

cause there aint

and says wont nobody

never believe her

what she says

i just laugh

she so drunk

she funny

well me and bobby simon

drink some more

i seen charlene

when she gone to the can

she don't come back

pretty soon bobby simon

say i better check her out

so i go to see

i find her all right

sitting in a corner

theres blood on her mouth

and her chin

and down her dress

she looks at me

and i see the knife

sticking out between her teeth

and remember what that means

and i know shed like to die

but cant

so she killed her tongue

instead

i leave her there

i go out the door

and down the street

and the yellow wind

makes me shiver and sweat

because now i believe her

and wont never say so.