The Reservation

How do you
sweep a dirt floor?
How do you describe
the blue face of death
to a spirit you will
someday dance with?
First, a dirt floor
cannot be dirty.
Second, her face was
more green than blue,
the color of malachite
or a crumpled dollar
bill in a wino's hand.
We lived so red
in the corpse blue
shadow of turquoise.