Dearest Mefitis,
Squuncke Tiskáy Maká Mephitis mephitis*
Every evening at sunset we are grateful for your presence
the goddess of liminal spaces and trance inducing vapors
you walk past us foraging for hazelnuts, blackberries, insects
pause, look at us cautiously wait for the ICE vehicle to pass
as we drink peppermint tea in filbert-brown pottery mugs….
Complete poem: “Dearest Meftis,” Wayfarer Magazine, Issue No. 43, Wayfarer Books, 2025, p.60.
*Algonquian, Kalapuya Atfalati, Lakota, Latin names for Skunk. Ancestor warriors lined their moccasins with skunk skin for protection.
