Melanie C. Campos ~ MahTame

MISSING MY GRANDPARENTS FROM ‘DARKO TOWN

Grandpa and Grandma, such loving grandparents
Speaking their native language and laughing a lot
Wondering what stories they are speaking of or
Who they are making jokes about or songs to sing
Sitting at the dinner table, ready to eat warm soup
Tales of what’s inside scares us from eating at all!
Grandpa telling us we’re eating raccoon eyes or
Frog legs that have been fried to look like chicken
Believing so hard and stomachs turning too much
But hunger sets in, eating and trying not to slurp
Delicious homemade soup of meat ‘n vegetables
Warm, fluffy, big pieces of grandma’s big fry bread
Dipped into savory tasting warm stew made for us

Missing days and nights sleeping in the big garage
Made into a big room with a bed, sofa, chair, clothes
Washing, drying, and ironing took place in there too
Listening to Kiowa being spoken fluently, hearing
Different inflections and change of voice, almost
Understanding what is being said or what’s it about
Many times falling asleep in the big bed as they speak
Feeling the sun shining in through the windows or
Snuggling under many blankets during the cold times
Feelings of love, safety, and security always with them
Even the many cats that came and went, were loved
Especially one feisty Siamese with blue eyes “Molly”
How I miss being in the company of my grandparents

Author’s Note: ‘Darko Town is the local name for “Anadarko”, which is located in Oklahoma. Many Indians from that area call it “Dodge” because it is so small. Not much to do there, for the young ones, but, the Kiowa Black Leggings Ceremony takes place just outside of there, and my maternal grandparents, whom I refer to in this poem, lived there for many years. My first memory of them is that they lived in another house, but it burned down. In my poem, their other home is where they resided till their death. One of my aunts lives there now.

My maternal grandparents were full blood Kiowa, and we spent a lot of times with them as well as my paternal grandparents who lived near the Wichita Mountains.