apologies for historical horrors and holocausts
âitâs time to move onâ
except no one wants to right their wrongs
pay no mind to what you see and feel
as I had to believe in others
ignore the mothers weeping as their newborn babes are transactioned
to grow up unloved, abused, assaulted, but âeducatedâ
unless youâre educated youâre worth nothing
turn away from the women who learned they would never feel the fullness of motherhood
the families wailing for their little one who didnât come home from school
the toddlers who wonder why their mother didnât love them enough to stay and
the millions of graves as a result of one tattered blanket
forget the families now displaced because their grandmother loved a white man
or their grandfather wanted to fight in the war or to get an education
disregard the fact that treaty protocol was not heeded
that Canada was birthed from the blood and bodies of its Indigenous
the lies and the promises and the greed
donât try to run away child
that black car isnât here for you
so many recommendations created only to sit at the back of the bookcase to rot
come child itâs time to celebrate
overlook the hateful remarks that are directed towards you and your loved ones
the fear you experience when you hear a van or truck slow down behind you
âwelfare bumâ, âfreeloaderâ, âsavageâ, âinjunâ, âsquawâ, or otherwise do not apply to you
there is no need to feel offended because youâre not like the others
forget about your dying family and friends
words donât break bones
stop wondering why their death was ruled ânot suspiciousâ
even though they were found in a ditch, in a forest, in an alleyway
or in a garbage bag at the bottom of a river
disregard your fear that you will be next
plenty of people of other races go missing every day
pay no mind to the fact that you must buy bottled water because your water now runs black
that you cannot brush your teeth or bathe in your own home
donât complain about your leaking roof or your molding walls
if you really want a better life you can just move
by the same corporations that are destroying your communities
we shouldnât even be here
thank the white man for our english
show others our cute outfits
itâs time to paint pretty pictures that
people can buy and hang in their million-dollar mansions
to feel better about themselves
we are worth nothing if we do not profit
itâs time to get our tables selling authentic shoes and earrings
for others to wear and have others admire
as a keepsake for athletes
that Canada can be proud of
let others admire our motherâs braided hair
hanging on the rearview mirror
 under the guise of reconciliation