Two Hundred and Sixty-Eighth Entry, Coronavirus Poetry Diary
quarantined mind
the sound of one hand washing
over and over
Added: This Brave New World, XXIII
a tanka set written on the first National Day for "Truth" and "Reconciliation"
O Canada
no clean water
from the taps on some First Nations
for decades ...
an Elder gazes at a lineup
for Every Child Matters shirts
in the spotlight
the PM's blah, blah, blah speech
on hard truths
a sea of orange shirts
marching to Parliament Hill
FYI: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau conveniently forgot to say that the major contributing factor to all of these socioeconomic problems that exist today in First Nations are because of current laws and policies, current political decisions and current failures to protect basic human rights ...
Pam Palmater, chair of Indigenous governance at Ryerson University, "How We Can Achieve Reconciliation Beyond Simple Rhetoric"
Added: This Brave New World, XXIV
Orange Shirt Day
an Elder's ten-year-old self
sobs into the dark
FYI: Every year on September 30th, people across Canada wear orange and participate in Orange Shirt Day events to recognize and raise awareness about the dark history and shameful legacies of the residential school system in Canada... Photogenic Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, departed Ottawa for regular Trudeau surfing spot in Tofino, B.C, with his family yesterday.
The following poem is a prequel to The Brave New World, XXIV:
ReplyDeletefor a residential school survivor
alone, she stares
through a half-open door ...
the EXIT sign
lights the priest's face
and a naked boy, bent over
PoemHunter, July 6 2021
Chen-ou Liu
Canada does not address First Nation concerns when the federal government or any other agency speaks of “reconciliation.” I have coined the term “Wreckonciliation” which is what Canada proposes in its one-sided attempts to rectify historic wrongs.
ReplyDeleteAs a colonial state, Canada lacks a true understanding of First Nation peoples. When claiming it is listening to First Nations, Canada prefers to hear only the select few voices of those whom support its mainstream agenda.
Canada refuses to undertake the necessary work that involves listening at the grassroots level and hearing the varied voices that make up First Nations across this land. Canada has been using a well thought-out strategy to paint a picture of Indians asking for handouts when in fact Canada is obligated by their own laws to honour historic undertakings...
Rachel Snow, Indigenous activist and educator of the Iyahe Nakoda Nation, "Truth and Wreckonciliation," Rabble, September 30, 2021, accessed at https://rabble.ca/columnists/truth-and-wreckonciliation/