25 Aug: 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.

1 comment:

  1. The picture is as confused as the son? What significance does the sky have for these men? Or native Americans? If the question marked bird is the answer, I don't know it.

    ReplyDelete