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
