Dream Catcher
by Kari Martindale
I want you to dream. Dream big!
But don’t let your Girl Scout troop leader
write Keep on dreaming!
across the balsa wood hoop
of a dream catcher craft,
hanging strings
of green trefoils
from the bottom of the loop,
in cheap pursuit
of a dream catcher patch
for the back
of your vest—
a project overseen by a non-Native leader
whose understanding of dream catchers
comes from the one-inch-square tag
on a bag full of trinkets made in China,
produced for the colonial masses—
plus the profit,
minus the blessing,
trading the sacredness of a dream catcher
for the same-ol’ banal messaging:
Keep on dreaming!
Big dreams
for big bedrooms in the suburbs;
nifty aesthetics to hang
with all the Pocahontas Halloween dresses,
making costumes out of Nations—
taking what was theirs to make it ours,
to decorate our McMansion walls.
Don’t get caught in this web of appropriation,
taking what belongs to another girl’s Nation.
Dream catchers aren’t a spoil of war.
Your troop leader doesn’t get to decide what they’re for.
So yes, Dream Big!
Bigger than her,
of a day when culture
and dreams are shared—not strewn
across a picnic table,
with markers, trefoils, string;
and patches to give out—
Girl Scout bling!—
to commemorate what fun appropriation can be.
Kari Martindale is a poet and spoken word artist living in Frederick County, Maryland. She has been published in several journals and anthologies, and she was featured in Berks Bardfest 2021. She sits on the Board of Maryland Writers’ Association as the President of the Frederick Chapter and was recently appointed Co-editor of the literary journal Pen in Hand. She is also a managing partner in EC Poetry & Prose. Kari served as a panelist for the Maryland State Arts Council Independent Artist Awards 2022. She is a finalist for Line of Advance’s 2022 Wright Prize. She has a Masters in Linguistics from George Mason University, is a veteran of the Air Force, and has visited all 50 States and nearly 40 countries. She can be found at kariannmartindale.com.
Kari continues to serve her community, including as a Girl Scout leader and service team member. “Dream Catcher” was inspired when she noticed dream catcher kits and patches for sale on a Girl Scouts facebook page; cultural appropriation is just one of the social justice topics that she tackles in her writing.