i am writing to tell you
that yes, indeed,
we have noticed
you have a new big pink eraser
we are well aware
you are trying to use it.
erasing indians is a good idea
of course
the bleeding-heart liberals
and communists
can stop feeling bad
for the stealing
and raping
and murdering
and we can all move on
we can be reconciled
except, i am graffiti.
except, mistakes were made.
she painted three white Xs
on the wall of the grocery store.
one. two. three.
then they were erased.
except, i am graffiti.
except, mistakes were made.
the Xs were made out of milk
because they took our food.
one. two. three.
then we were erased.
except, i am graffiti.
except, mistakes were made.
we are the singing remnants
left over after
the bomb went off in slow motion
over a century instead of a fractionated second
it’s too much to process, so we make things instead
we are the singing remnants
left over after
the costumes have been made
collected up
put in a plastic bag, full of intentions
for another time
another project.
except, i am graffiti.
and mistakes were made.
This poem vibrates with anger and defiance in the wake of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
- In our Q&A with Leanne Simpson, she explains that she wrote this poem because, “I was watching the closing of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and I felt angry, not reconciled” How do you feel the poem transforms that anger?
- How is the image of graffiti used in this poem?
- How does the poem suggest resilience and survival in the face of attempted erasure?
- How does the poet use repetition to suggest a continual re-emergence of the self?
- Do you feel that the mood of the poem is the same throughout, or does it change? Do you feel that the voice is using dark humour or sarcasm at any point? Where?
- If you were reciting this poem, what tone would you use? Would you vary the speed of your repetition? Where would you pause?
- Write a poem in response to something in the news that makes you angry. Think about how to vary the tone and use imagery and sound patterns so that your poem has more texture than a straightforward rant.
HELPFUL LINKS
Check out Leanne Simpson’s personal website here.
Watch Leanne Simpson give a lecture on Restoring Nationhood at Simon Fraser University:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fH1QZQIUJIo
Watch the music video for her poem-song “Leaks,” which is a response to the first time her young daughter experienced racism:
http://leannesimpson.ca/leaks-music-video/
See this video introducing Leanne Simpson as the first winner of the RBC Taylor Emerging Writer award:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86vxM6kIsR0
A profile page on Leanne Simpson at cbc.ca
http://www.cbc.ca/books/2014/08/leanne-simpson.html
Naomi Klein speaks to Leanne Simpson:
http://www.yesmagazine.org/peace-justice/dancing-the-world-into-being-a-conversation-with-idle-no-more-leanne-simpson
Leanne Simpson’s “i am graffiti” first appeared in the July/August 2015 issue of The Walrus, selected by Poetry In Voice Creative Director Damian Rogers in her role as poetry editor there.