How to be a drunk ndn

At the drive-thru line

at Taco Bell

in a parking lot

in Shiprock

I look out

from the backseat

and see like six

drunk ndns

all sitting together.

They are waving

their arms all at

each other and

I sort of want

to see a fight

happen because

I am desperate

for cheap action.

I look out the

window on

the right and

see another one

lying in the bushes

who then gets up

and turns around

to take a piss.

My mother

my auntie

and I judge

them from

inside the car.

Have they no shame?

Don’t they have a family?

Surely they could be at home.

I’m pretty sure some of them are

fathers.

We pull up and begin ordering

while I look back and see the

pissing ndn join the other ndns

and suddenly one of the drunks

punches the pisser and he falls

over on the pavement and I start

to laugh from the car only for the

two to get up and hug it out.

We pull around the Taco Bell

and then we are blocked from

their view much to our annoyance.

I wonder aloud what some of these

white people passing through think

when they see us like that all drunk.

My auntie tells me

that a lot of them

think that we just

drink and are drunk

all the time.

Well they can think

that we’re drunks all

they want while I think

some of them are trashy.

Because how are you

white and poor on land

you stole and claimed

to have conquered?

Anyone can say

anything about

anyone and still

have it all wrong.

We get our food

and my auntie

tells my mom

to do a drive-by

real slow by the

drunk ndns this

time.

One of the ndns

waves at us and

I am bewildered

by this palm action

as my auntie waves

back and my mother

with the windows

rolled down tells

them to be safe.

I mumble

quietly to

no one to

maybe stop

drinking.