My Dear Friends:
In support of Canada's indigenous leaders in their call for Canada Day reflection after the horrific discoveries of more than a thousand unmarked graves at former residential schools (May 27, 215 graves; June 24, 751 graves and June 30, 182 graves), I would like to share the following sociopolitically and environmentally conscious poems written by Canadian poets raise the awareness about sociopolitical problems, spark new reflections, and add a new layer of complexity to pondering difficult questions raised by Canadian indigenous leaders.
overnight
rain-soaked petals
carpet his grave
so many ways to come
face to face with heartbreak
Carole MacRury
waiting for
the fireworks to begin
on the beach
I look up into the twilight sky
with my childhood loneliness
Kozue Uzawa
he chose
surgery to become
a woman
posing as a man
to see his grandchildren
Ignatius Fay
two-spirited
this (wo)man revered
by one culture
how could (s)he be
so reviled by another
Debbie Strange
another lizard tail
left at the door ...
how many
identities
I have dropped
Jessica Malone Latham
dragging
an old Samsonite
across a gravel border road
the only item left
not damaged by hate
Mike Montreuil
(FYI: How thousands of asylum seekers have turned Roxham Road into a de facto border crossing, CBC News, September 29, 2019
A quaint country road in upstate New York, bordering on Quebec, has become an internationally known footpath for hopeful migrants. Thousands of asylum seekers from all over the world have passed this sign since 2017 on their way to an unofficial crossing from the U.S. into Canada ...)
corner beggar change is everywhere
George Swede
to get elected
they promise jobs
to build a bridge
big enough for the jobless
to jump from
LeRoy Gorman
(r)egret along the riverbank acid rain
Marianne Paul
this winter day
my love is silent
palliative care
smokers at the exit
the urge to tell them off
Huguette Ducharme
time and again
I leave the nursing home
through a locked gate
fearing the code that lets me out
will one day hold me in
Susan Constable
(FYI: Canada's nursing homes have worst record for COVID-19 deaths among wealthy nations, CBC News, March 30 2021)
To conclude today's "Special Feature: Canada Day Reflection" post, I would like to share the following haiku:
This Brave New World, XIII
more unmarked graves found ...
the Peace Tower flag at half-mast
on Canada Day
FYI: The Peace Tower is a focal bell and clock tower on the central axis of the Centre Block of the Canadian parliament buildings in Ottawa, Ontario.
Chen-ou
Added: This Brave New World, XIV, written on Canada Day (of reckoning)
red and white coloring
turns into a stream of orange
on Parliament Hill
the gray-haired Elders chanting
every child matters
FYI: L1 refers to the colors of the Canadian flag while "orange" in L2 is the color of the protesters' shorts (FYI: Orange represents the color of the indigenous peoples in Canada because of Orange Shirt Day, also known as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation)
My series of "This Brave New World" entries (VII, Xi, and XIII) echoes the following message:
ReplyDeleteWhat has been will be again,
what has been done will be done again;
there is nothing new under the [Canadian] sun.
-- "Ecclesiastes," 1:9, NIV Bible
VII
bulky reports
on indigenous peoples
gather dust ...
we just lower flags for the kids
in an unmarked mass grave
XI
751
unmarked children's graves
found in summer heat ...
another report on racism
waiting to to be written
XIII
more unmarked graves found ...
the Peace Tower flag at half-mast
on Canada Day