Displaced

Elsewhere, 
inhabitants insist
on buyouts
for 
the 
Earth. 

Somewhere, 
women 
are paid equally,
elsewhere, 
no one is paid, 
at all. 

Here, 
we wring
our hands
and hope
for
love.
 
Sometimes, 
the lights
go 
all the way
out, 
and the stars,
are ours
again. 

In another place, 
they honor
the dead,
by housing
their people. 

On stolen soil, 
there is
no honor.

Unearth the
hypocrisy,
“own” your history,
“own” your faults, 
you do not
own
us. 

Without 
our wallets,
our scrolling,
our infighting,
the distraction slips,
we must face this.

We 
are 
one
populated planet,
under 
a dying sun,
surrounded by
dying stars,
but you
will
not
snuff out
our light. 

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Thank you for checking in today.

This poem is inspired by the literal unearthing of truth. Sadly, hundreds, if not thousands, of unmarked graves of Indigenous children are being discovered on the grounds of residential “schools” in Canada, revealing the horrific truth of the colonial powers’ agenda to systematically erase a nation and its peoples. The residential “school” atrocities cannot be ignored, and the legacy of these tactics is still alive today, still negatively affecting Indigenous people in Canada, and we must rise up to stop this systemic racism within our “multicultural” Canada.

I appreciate that you have stopped by today. If you can, please consider making a donation to Truth North Aid, or one of their many programs, so the Indigenous communities of Canada can get the respect, support, and love that they deserve.

In addition, you can also support Indigenous communities of Canada by donating to one of the Canadian charities listed here.

Also, please check out this resource on Orange Shirt Day and ways that you can help support the community on September 30th, and every day of the year.

Thank you for your support.

Facing the horrors of Canada’s colonial past is difficult and painful because we know that we are better than this, but if we work together, these cultures that have resisted erasure, just might hold the key to saving us all. It is time for the settlers to be quiet and listen, the first peoples have the floor.

I stand against white privilege and the colonial agenda.

To the Indigenous Peoples of Canada, I stand with you. Every Child Matters.

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