NaPo/GloWriMo - Day 6

 April 6, 2023 - Today we were to read a poem in a different language and use that as inspiration for our own. I found a Cree poem and before reading the translation* it already sounded haunting. My inspiration for this poem comes from the pain our Indigenous brothers and sisters are experiencing with respect to the residential schools and missing and murdered women and children.

Bathe Me in Your Waters (because water is sacred)

Bathe me in your waters
help me to forget
Bathe me in your waters
beneath the red sunset

Bathe me in your waters
wash away the tears
Bathe me in your waters
Until confusion clears

Bathe me in your waters
until the past is gone
the ache inside this heavy heart 
grows fainter with the dawn

No amount of cleansing
will rid us of the dirt
But sharing pain with others
alleviates the hurt

*The Way I Remember: Solomon Ratt

ôma kâ-pî-isi-kiskisiyân

kika-pîhtînâwâw niwîsakakahpinîwin

ispî kâ-kî-pîkopitikawiyân

ninîkihikwak ohci,

nitaskîhk ohci,

nitâcathôhkîwinihk ohci,

ninîhithawâtisiwinihk ohci.

mâka kikakî-pîhtînâwâw mîna

ninanâtawihisowin

nitâcimisowinihk,

nimasinahikîwinihk,

nimâmitonîthihcikîwinihk,

ikwa nitâcathôhkîwinihk.

ᐆᒪ ᑳ ᐲ ᐃᓯ ᑭᐢᑭᓯᔮᐣ

ᑭᑲ ᐲᐦᑏᓈᐚᐤ ᓂᐑᓴᑲᑲᐦᐱᓃᐏᐣ

ᐃᐢᐲ ᑳ ᑮ ᐲᑯᐱᑎᑲᐏᔮᐣ

ᓂᓃᑭᐦᐃᑿᐠ ᐅᐦᒋ,

ᓂᑕᐢᑮᕽ ᐅᐦᒋ,

ᓂᑖᒐᖫᐦᑮᐏᓂᕽ ᐅᐦᒋ,

ᓂᓃᐦᐃᖬᐚᑎᓯᐏᓂᕽ ᐅᐦᒋ᙮

ᒫᑲ ᑭᑲᑮ ᐲᐦᑏᓈᐚᐤ ᒦᓇ

ᓂᓇᓈᑕᐏᐦᐃᓱᐏᐣ

ᓂᑖᒋᒥᓱᐏᓂᕽ,

ᓂᒪᓯᓇᐦᐃᑮᐏᓂᕽ,

ᓂᒫᒥᑐᓃᖨᐦᒋᑮᐏᓂᕽ,

ᐃᑿ ᓂᑖᒐᖫᐦᑮᐏᓂᕽ᙮

This The way I Remember

you can hear my trauma

From being torn

From my parents,

From my land,

From my traditional stories,

From my Cree essence.

But you can also hear

My self healing

In my stories about my life,

In my writing,

In my reminiscences,

In my telling of traditional stories.