Reservations

by

Richard Shelton

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these bald mountains
have no trees never had any
never knew they were supposed to

such a disappointment
the tourists say and we came
all the way from Illinois

the tired tourists are driving
through the reservation
in search of Indians

but the Indians are not reserved
they have painted blue graffiti
on all the water towers

such vulgarity the tourists say
and tell their children
to look the other way

but the sunburned children
grow petulant and noisy
where are the Fuc-ky-ou Indians
the children shout

and keep shouting it
all the way back to Illinois

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From Selected Poems 1969 - 1981 by Richard Shelton, © 1982 Richard Shelton. All rights are controlled by the University of Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh, PA 15260. Used by permission of the University of Pittsburgh Press.

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