Nimaamaa Can’t Find Anyone Who Sells Maple Sugar

Art: "You Don't Know" by N_Mori

Poetry: "Nimaamaa Can’t Find Anyone Who Sells Maple Sugar" by Ana Migwan

in the future   no Ojibwe can tap the trees   or harvest sap

from the iskigamizigan          sugar bushes are closed

            Biboon the season      of pausing      to tell stories

about sleeping spirits under solid ice

                                                           has passed on

 

            Nimaamaa grabs her ribboned apron off the hook

rolls up her sleeves        grabs the hand of a homeless spirit

& guides them home amid a snowless Bibooni-giizis

 

in this future     her children have had children

                                                    & she’ll be damned

if they don’t get christmas cookies

                                                rolled in something

                                                                         sacred

 

Published January 2nd 2026

Ana W. Migwan’s work will appear in West Trestle Review. She is an enrolled citizen of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community working out of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Her work centers Ojibwe culture as she works to reclaim her Indigeneity through language and poetry.

N_Mori is an emerging artist who uses mixed media to create captivating artwork. After an extended hiatus, they rekindled their artistic journey with a passion. Their creations reflect the ebbs and flows of emotions and the state of their mental health, transforming inner struggles into intriguing visuals.