Ace of Swords

House of Obsidian
by Camaray Davalos

I have to remind you that it was
white men in black robes who tried to claim the land
like it was my body
and my body like it was the land.
Maybe because we are both
rolling, resolute, rhythmic. Rebellious.

And it is white men in black suits who 
say my choice is a sin
because subordination
is their sharpest blade.

I’ve learned to dull it with my teeth.

Camaray Davalos (she/her) is of mixed Payómkawichum/Xicana heritage. She graduated from Humboldt State University with a major in Native American Studies and a minor in Environmental Science Management. Through her writing she aims to revitalize traditional knowledge and merge it with the multitude of Indigenous identities that exist in order to portray unique and genuine perspectives of what it means to be Payómkawish.