Two Poems
Hi, my name is Trevino Brings Plenty. I am member of the Minneconjou Lakota. I was born on the Cheyenne River/Sioux Reservation in South Dakota, Eagle Butte, South Dakota. I now live in Portland, Oregon. I’ve been here for about twelve years. I’m a poet and a musician. I’ve been doing both for about twelve years.
Here is an example of one of my poems. The poem is called No Eyes.
1.
My grandfather had his eyes stolen.
He said they were
In the Smithsonian museum.
The last image he saw
was a blond haired woman
bending over him.
He was newly back from Japan,
he was still wearing his W.W. II uniform.
He said it wasn’t a good thing,
but he was sadly satisfied his eyes
were set next to his grandparents’ bones.
2.
My grandfather was a brakeman
in his late teens.
When he lost his left pinkie finger,
he quit and joined the army.
“There were a lot of Indians
in the army,” he said.
“We were seen as American heroes
when we wore our uniforms.”
He said,
“Know this grandson,
the people were not all warriors.
My cousin was a painter and storyteller,
my brother was a fisherman,
my sister tamed horses,
everyone ate food, breathed air, drank water.
This is the family lineage.”
My grandfather rolled a cigarette.
He was wearing sunglasses.
It was evening just before supper.
“Every man wants to huff and puff
their warriorness,” he said.
“But the real work is peace.”
Trevino Brings Plenty
Trevino Brings Plenty is a member of the Minneconjou Lakota. He was born on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation in Eagle Butte, South Dakota. He is 55/64 Lakota, 9/64 is unknown. He has lived in the Portland, Oregon area for about twelve years.
Trevino is a poet and musician. His storytelling comes through in his written work; it embodies an American Indian culture. As a writer he shares stories of the Urban Indian experiences in mostly urban settings. He relates to the affects relocation had on his family that was passed down through the generations, the cultural shock, what’s considered Indian and how, by default, urbanization becomes political. He captures the humor, sadness, and joy of contemporary Indian life.
He has self-published nine poetry books; the most recent being: Removing Skin, 2005; Real Indian Junk Jewelry, 2004; Dead Indian Road – Volume I and II, 2004; Making Out With Shotguns, 2002; Drinking with the Rocks, 2002. Poems Madly Made in Three Days, 2001; All the Clocks are Wrong, 2000; Neon Unknown, 1999; Wilderness Eden, 1998.
Trevino gives presentations to open mics around the Portland metro area to mostly non-Indian audiences. He also went to Jordon, August 2005, to participate in an international poetry festival. He taught a poetry workshop at NAYA and does poetry readings to Native Americans at Portland State University.
Trevino Brings Plenty
PO Box 3
Portland, OR 97207
trevino@trevinobringsplenty.com
