SLIM BUTTES - Any of you psychic cosmic star child people hanging out in the angelic realms run into Kennedy yet? If you see him, I've got a couple of questions; who was the guy on the grassy knoll, and who did 911, really?Can you channel that?Reason I ask is because I haven't yet gained access to that smell the rainbow, hear the colors dimension, being mired down here in the 3D physical world of regular, unleaded people.Apart from the real 3D world, there's your screen, where you can just sit there, staring into your lap, thumbs atwitter, there, but not really there, same physical space, same time, but emotionally uninvolved, hearing but not listening, attending to some distant digital drama on desktop, notebook, laptop, notepad, cell phone, texting, twitting, tweeting, twirping on a TV, on a rant, on a rave, on drugs, on a binge, on ad infinitum into the night and the day thereafter, but otherwise here, but 'not there'. There, but not here.Around here, you must watch your head - there's low-flying aircraft. Anybody who's ever been around a flight line will tell you that you've got to watch for prop blades. You aviators...you folks who always want to be up, up in the air, flying high, jet set, acrobat, circus act, up, up, up around the rim, up all night, up in there, smelling the rainbow, hearing the colors.Had to ask the local bodhisattva, 'You ever down, man? You ever get depressed? I mean, you're always running around all positive-minded, all cheery and roses...that ain't the real world, man! We're on the Rez!'You know what he told me? 'Endeavor to persevere.''Walk with a light heart. Stay on your toes. Keep your head in the game. You never know when they might call you up. The Lord or the coach. You thought you was just sitting the bench. Coach cries out, 'GET IN THERE!' Lord says, 'C'mon home.' '-You see where the Chinese have reverse engineered my airplanes?No worry, my Bella. Already told you, the planes of the 335th are: one of a kind, made in the US of A, limited edition, hand made, with 40 parts of assembly. Theirs are all same same, a blue million, made in China, stamped out, and you don't get shit else, whereas with the purchase of one of my aircraft (for the low, low, one-time price of $499.99, or free), you gain automatic entry into the 335th (Tactical Aviation Squadron, a real entity). So there.You think that's funny, Tom said, for seven hundred dollars or more, your name will be said in sweat lodge tonight. Aloud."Spirit said, 'Four years!' "'You're gonna see six planes.' If you can make any sense of that. It's kind of like a dream or some kind of mushroom state - it only has meaning for you if you can make sense of it.Bo was talking about the bulls down in the bull pen at the rodeo, talking shit about how long they'll let that cowboy ride on their backs. They've got reputations, too, you know...maybe I already told you this one...if I did, stop me, but one of those bulls let a cowboy go the entire eight seconds, and when he, the bull, come back to the pen, those other bulls said to him, 'Go on over there with the roping steers. You're making us look bad.'-Gon' play dat race card.Through my whole life, I've had people ask me if I was part Indian. Niggas will sometimes say, 'You part nigga, ain't you? And maybe you've had someone ask if you're part Indian, your own self, but I've never, ever, heard anyone ask someone else if they were part peckerwood. Have you?So I'm going to do it; Is you part peckawood?You've heard about people bragging about their great grandmother, being some kinda Indian princess. When I hear that distant relative was someone talk, I like to recall a great, great, great grandmother on my momma side, who they say was a white trash, they say, down through the generations, but shhhhhhhh, nobody wanted to talk about her.Told my son when he told me about his golf clubs, 'Now you, you can be a golf pro, because when you was born, your people on your momma's side was golf pros, your granddad. It's in yo' blood. Now, me, I can never be a golf pro, because when I was born, my people was caddies.'-Just say, 'China'.Ahhhh. I can finally throw away these notes.Laughing up in here the other night, talking about not making 'the cut' into heaven. Relatives all waiting for you. 'You're not on the list,' said Tom.'There must be some mistake.' You're looking past the man at the gate, looking for someone you recognize. "You haven't got any relatives here," said Bo. "You've got to go to the other place. Your people down there saying, 'YEAH. C'MON IN! We've been waiting for you!' "-end
Writing and photography from the desk of Vic Glover, former journalist, writing professor and author of 'Keeping Heart on Pine Ridge.'