It was the land - Poem by pj johnson Poet Laureate of the Yukon

 

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 1^st 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 1^st 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!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/400121743700394/