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The buried secrets.

A poem about my heritage.

By Deasun T. SmythPublished 2 years ago Updated 17 days ago 1 min read
9
The buried secrets.
Photo by ABDALLA M on Unsplash

Lonesome, blade'n grass that chant emerald breme.

Dusk arising, bring forth the mountain gleam.

Hidden beneath these swirling scenes.

Are the buried bodies of kids and teens.

Cease, howls of the hound.

Lies of the bound.

The buried secrets...

By Andreas Wagner on Unsplash

Between spring truth will prevail.

Winter malice, pummelled by hail.

The startling truth of the past.

Rest in peace, don't go too fast.

Mâcosi my people of the land.

Through the warrior, lend a hand.

The buried secrets...

By Andrew James on Unsplash

Reconciliation for the buried bones.

Away they were, with no stones.

Ayomihâ awâsisak, don't fear and hide.

your home unfurls, across this tide.

Where my pride lives, my culture reigns.

With the beating sun and open plains.

But we will not stay silent.

Instead our voice will remain giant.

The buried secrets...

(This poem was inspired by the mass unmarked graves found in Indian Residential Schools in Canada (the graves were filled with children). Many people assume the harsh treatment to the First Nations was long since past, but thats not the case. The first Indian Residential School opened in 1828, and the last closed in 1997 ((less than 30 years ago). These schools operated in all Canadian provinces and territories except Prince Edward Island. The Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement (IRSSA) has formally recognized 139 residential schools across Canada, but this number excludes schools that operated without federal support. In these Indian Residential Schools the First Nations were suppresed in their language, culture, and most freedoms. Their hair was cut short, their were forced to wear European clothes, and were punished for speaking their native tongue. The death rates were 25% (compared to 19.75% of soldiers killed in the Korean war). And the effects are still felt today, a lot of reserves (places were the white people put the First Nations) don't have proper pluming, fresh water, or up-to-date housing. The land isn't good for farming, and violence is common).

sad poetry
9

About the Creator

Deasun T. Smyth

I’m a First Nations 16 year old young man, probably an old soul (not that there's anything wrong with that). I live in Saskatchewan, and I love reading, writing, conlanging, and collecting sarcastic T-shirts.

Reader insights

Outstanding

Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!

Top insights

  1. Compelling and original writing

    Creative use of language & vocab

  2. Excellent storytelling

    Original narrative & well developed characters

  3. Eye opening

    Niche topic & fresh perspectives

  1. Heartfelt and relatable

    The story invoked strong personal emotions

  2. On-point and relevant

    Writing reflected the title & theme

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Comments (7)

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  • Bonnie Bowermanabout a month ago

    Compelling, beautifully written about dark truth...

  • I've read quite a bit about the Indian Residential Schools (both in Canada as well as those here in the US) and it's absolutely heartbreaking. Not to mention horrific that human beings are even capable of treating each other in such a manner, let alone children. I know such atrocities have occurred throughout history and worldwide at that... doesn't mean that it's any easier to comprehend though. This poem is a lovely tribute to those taken far too soon from this plane.

  • Amelia Moore10 months ago

    damn this was super cool and interesting. great work.

  • Donna Reneeabout a year ago

    This was wonderful and I appreciated the contextual info as well.

  • Heather Hublerabout a year ago

    So very sad but lovingly portrayed. This was beautiful and touching. Thank you for sharing :)

  • I don't know how to reach you outside of Vocal. I'd love it if you could join the Vocal+assist group on Facebook. It's a group of Vocal writers. I was going to add this story for one of the group activities this morning and realized you're not there. There's also a group for the competitions called Incantations. They share and read each other's stories and it a lot of fun. Anyway, those resources are there if you're interested. 😊

  • Beautiful tribute

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