Introduction to “it was the land”
This poem was written as I and my fellow Canadians struggled to come to terms with the ongoing discovery of children buried in unmarked graves on the grounds of residential schools in Canada.
In honour of those who never returned home
"it was the land"
by pj johnson Poet Laureate of the Yukon
it was the land
no one knew the evil men could do
behind closed doors
no one spoke of it
no one said sorry
and in the end
it was the land
the very land itself
that spoke
it was the land
that carried the secrets
that knew the truth
that yielded a million sorrows
that stopped us like a thunderbolt
in the streets.
god forgive us
the whispers were true
it was the land that spoke for thousands
denied a life. denied a family
denied a mother tongue
and as our grief-filled days
stretched out before us
like a blanket of fear
from the land of the Mi’kmaq to Haida Gwaii
we were numb with disbelief
for it was the land
the very land itself
that spoke to us in the darkness
in the sacred smoke of our ancestors
and in the voices of our children
who whispered on the wind
guiding us
showing us the way
telling us
there will be a time
for coming together
as a nation. as a people. and as a family
to celebrate now
and lift our brothers and sisters
as never before
our tears are never far from the surface
it always gets darker before the light comes back
©pjjohnsonYukon June 24 2021
pj johnson Poet Laureate of the Yukon
*Please note my legal name is pj johnson spelled all lower case – no punctuation, often followed by my title Poet Laureate of the Yukon: pj johnson Poet Laureate of the Yukon.
I respectfully acknowledge that I live and work within the traditional territories of the Kwanlin Dün First Nation and the Ta’an Kwäch’än Council.
On Canada Day July 1st 1994 pj johnson the daughter of a Yukon trapper was formally invested and given the title Poet Laureate of the Yukon during a ceremony in Whitehorse where she became the first officially-invested poet laureate in Canada.
As an oral/visual artist from a northern
storytelling culture her poems, stories, plays and songs have been televised
and performed at various venues across Canada and around the world. Her
creative works have been published in books and journals globally; translated
into several languages, and published
widely.
Diagnosed with a learning
disorder called ‘Nonverbal Learning Disorder’ or NLD in 2005, pj johnson
encourages people with a learning disability to realize they can still pursue
their dreams.
Active in the arts for
decades as an
oral/visual storyteller, mentor and
performer at various venues across Canada, johnson is also an author,
playwright, actor, musician, composer, teller of stories and Yukon
ambassador. – If it’s creative she’s probably been there.
Known as the Yukon Raven
Lady, in 1985 johnson led a successful
campaign to have the northern raven declared the official symbol of the Yukon
Territory. She is also a passionate animal
rights advocate currently campaigning to protect the northern sled dogs.
On Canada Day July 1st 2021 pj
johnson celebrated her 27th anniversary as Poet Laureate of the Yukon. She is
the longest-serving Poet Laureate in Canada.
Her book “it’s howlin’ time!” about the life and times of a northern
Canadian poet laureate is available at Mac’s Fireweed Books and on
Amazon. Her
Official Website is located at: https://www.yukonpoetlaureate.com/
You can also join pj on Facebook
and on Twitter!
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