S’áxt, Devil’s Club

You cannot hurry her.

You must gently 

rub away her thorns

from the base of her being,

make a place for yourself 

to hold her

because the real work 

has just begun.

She is covered in thorns 

from head to toe.

The best medicine 

always knows

how to protect itself.

*S’áxt, Devil’s Club in the Tlingit language.