aanii kina wiya! hello everyone! sharing this poem that i was commissioned to write for ‘Zaagi’idiwin: Silent, Unquestionable Act of Love’ an exhition by Leanna Marshall at Robert Langen Gallery, Wilfred Laurier University in 2018. what an honour is was to write a long series poem for Leanna’s beautiful healing dresses. this poem is published in a beautiful booklet click here for more info. enjoy!! ps. hope you’re enjoying the late spring heat wave! stay safe and take care. miigwech/thank you for visiting, vera
i.
listen,
ookomis once said,
the longest journey we, humans, will ever take
is the path of healing
it begins when we listen
listen,
mishoomis once said,
the trees connect us through roots
with limbs outstretched, ready to hold, carry us forward
as the mist dissipates with the rising sun
sit, listen
maybe one day you will know
how roots travel into the earth
connecting and grounding
each of us
ii.
our voices are vibrations
traveling a path from heart to heart
it is up to us to decipher meaning
like ancestors who had visions seven generations ago
tune into the reverberation
iii.
narratives stored in our dna
memories linked to our histories
stories filtered through generations
healing stitched in fabric
hope gathers in jingle dresses
fabric gathers stories along lines of jingles
like tree lines along the shores lake superior
with each jingle a story is remembered
like roots running in the earth gathering strength
iv.
a full moon story
a residual memory
from life at residential school
a painful moon connects broken families
a jingle is placed for each tear
a young girl sheds
a crying moon carries the hurt
as a young girl endures pain from wicked hands
a praying moon enlightens
as a young girl’s pain is remembered
with a grandmother’s voice
a jingle is stitched for every day at residential school
in each stitch, jingles heal a grandmother’s journey
back to a full moon of hope
v.
the medicine from the earth
comes through the jingles
jingles speak to the healing
for the women who swim with fishes
each jingle carries a memory
they are not forgotten in each stitch
each jingle carries a prayer
jingles gather along lines of ribbons
the medicine from the water flows
beneath the solid layer of ice
the sound of jingles resonate
frozen in the shuffle steps across lake superior
prayers reverberate below
jingles sound like water and wind as it flows sacred around you
vi.
listen to the spirit of the jingle dress
jingle dress dancer
dance with intention
listen to the heart beats coming from the earth
dance for healing
dance for the people who shuffle across the earth
align with the full moon and the cosmos and the ancestors
shake up this world
gather the medicine from the earth
gather the medicine from the water
gather the medicine from the wind
gather the medicine from the trees
gather it all in every jingle
jingle dress dancer
break a new trail and call it a healing path
with each step, jingles ignite the medicine from the earth
healing is constant like the wind
healing is resilient like the land
healing is fluid like the water
healing is sustainable like the trees
these healing dresses
are dancing
listen
vii.
listen,
a grandmother once said,
the longest journey we, anishnaabeg, will ever take
is the path of healing and it begins when we listen with our hearts
the journey from our hearts to our minds
is a path with many obstacles
some we make ourselves
others were there before we were born
there’s no short-cut or by-pass
the only way is to find your voice
the voice finds strength with each telling
the chords thread and stitch our lives
remember this and you will honour
voice, story, self
listen,
a grandfather once said,
my story, your story, each of our stories
are important
we carry our stories on our backs
sometimes stories are heavy,
weighing down, curving the spine
like trees bending from the northern wind
sometimes stories are shared
like seeds floating on a summer breeze
taking root wherever they land
becoming medicine from the earth
our stories take root
ground us in the earth
so we can gather the strength
to stand like the trees
and reach for sky
viii.
jingle dress dancer
a dreamcatcher
who sees with spirit
zaagiidiwin guides dreams to those who listen
jingle dress dancer
a collector
who listens with love
zaagiidiwin travels traplines of history
jingle dress dancer
a seeker
who touches with gentleness
zaagiidiwin threads through seven generations
jingle dress dancer
a transmitter
who connects to the medicine from the earth
vera wabegijig 