A Navajo Scrapbook

By Rutherford Ashley and Christian Bigwater

Rutherford Ashley, of the Navajo people, presents a scrap book of 102 poems that take snapshots of what is the Navajo experience, from being too young for pre-school age in the 1970s, to dealing with aspects of Navajo identity, the work is like a family photo album, as surely more than one reader will identify with young Basil, the focus character in the work. In summary, A Navajo scrapbook deals with Navajo identity, especially as it is published at the dawn of 2013. The book is an easy read that takes you from point to point to develop the "muse" of Basil, and the antithesis of Basil, which is the demonstrated by Basil's conflicted identity in a changing world. A good read.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Jan 2, 2013
• ISBN: 9780971019317

Book preview

Author

Chapter One: The Muse of Basil

Trading Post

Ice cream and sodas were not much

When grandma had her magical touch

Signing away

For grandkids that day

Her credit was the type you could trust

Laundry Sundays

Ironing clothes on Sunday nights

Much to our mother's delight

Burning fingers

Pain would linger

Just a break for kids who fight

Clothes Lines

Clothes pins was his middle name

No one knew about the game

He hurried home

All alone

And put the laundry along the lanes

Grass Seeds

After the hoe, grass seeds grow

That's all anyone needs to know

Water mornings

Water evenings

Watch your work, sweat on brow

Cumulous Clouds

Cutting weeds on summer days

While all the kids wanted to play

I'll do my chore.

To mom he swore

And up above, the clouds did sway

Speed Math

Best friends in class compete with their math

Aiming for answers that were exact

Five minutes later

The students are graders

After school, the tests go to the trash!

Sno Cones

Sno cones grandma sold

As elderly as she was

Grinding ice each day

For bills to pay

And we just wanted our sodas cold

The Gallup Independent

Collection days were stressful

Yet, some customers: faithful

Collect, collect

Avoid a debt

The newspaper boy had his hands full

Transplanting

Planting trees like Mr. Green

Waiting for buds to shape like beans

Which would prove

Shoots were roots

In the yard, see nature's scene

Roller Skate Tuesdays

Tuesdays we could appreciate

Spray Lysol into roller skates

Tie the lace

After grace

The Catholic hall was good for breaks

Sister's Hair

Tie a hair to a doorknob

Wakes you up in the morrow

Mom comes in

Hair is thin

Ouch! I'll just rise to the wardrobe

Brave Sister

Midnight was a wild horse

This we knew, as of course

Yet, sister fell

Bravest of all

She tried to ride him, free of choice

Snow Shoes

Luushka would pursue the rabbits

Give him the scent, he would grab it

Bounding one day

Through snow and clay