Do you speak your language?
I stare — I just said: how are you?
I thought English was my language
apparently it isn’t
I thought Halkomelem was gibberish
the devil’s language
that’s what the nuns said
apparently not
Some white guy sets me straight:
Aboriginal people are losing languages
Funny, thought I had it just a moment ago
maybe it’s in Gramma’s old shoebox
maybe it's sandwiched between papers
in plastic bags hidden under mom’s bed
Hey, has anyone seen my language?
Common Poetic Terms and Forms
Contest Criteria
A tongue in cheek response to settler "concerns" about Indigenous languages
Bibliographical info
Lee Maracle, "Language," from Talking to the Diaspora. ARP Books, 2015. Copyright © Lee Maracle. Used with permission of the publisher.