by William Bray

 

	place me in a suburban neighborhood on the westbank of New Orleans beer in left hand beads in right watching "Choctaw" the parade (I am Choctaw the Indian) suspend disbelief willingly Plains Indians of undetermined origin and Las Vegas show girls give birth to radioactive drag queens complete with horses and headdresses the size of my disbelief "Throw me something Choctaw" the woman beside me yells elbowing and fighting Choctaw's arm pulls back his hand releases beads enough to buy Manhattan fly like colored rain Choctaw raises a bamboo spear complete with chickenfeathers the prize of the parade beads forgotten sedentary southerners rise from their lawn chairs "Throw. Throw. Throw. Throw." I repeat four times Four being the right number four being a Choctaw number and the spear comes to me chickenfeathers and bamboo in glory one "Choctaw" to another and with disbelief suspended the parade marches on.

 

	"Choctaw" © 1996 by William Bray
	Original Graphic © 1996 by Jim Davis-Rosenthal

 

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