“Tears/Truth” a poem by Nina Craig
Tears/Truth
by Nina Craig
A river of silence
for horrendous Indian policies
tens of thousands of Native children
entered the system
of boarding schools
places of trauma and terror
hidden from history
no one forget
nearly 1,000 documented deaths
really much, much higher
(we haven’t found all the graves yet)
lost
generations
culture and language
trust
traditions and songs
the federal government took
deliberate and strategic actions
to isolate
children from their families
steal
languages, cultures and traditions
the federal government
failed
I formally apologize
frankly there's no excuse
the pain it caused is
a mark of shame
a blot on American history
what remains
children sang traditional songs and prayers
to the rhythm
from the rattles
from the singers
they danced
keep the promises
let us thrive
we're still here
we're still here with our tradition
They haven't killed our tradition yet
hopefully you don't.
This poem was written for the Oct/POEM/ber 2024 Poem Writing Challenge.
(Oct/POEM/ber Prompt #26 Erasure Poetry adapting and responding to this article)
Nina Craig, Odawa and Ojibwe, was raised in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan on the same farm as her father. She worked for Indian people in the area of health and human services her entire career. Now retired, she resides in Kalamazoo, MI and enjoys writing poetry and memoir.
