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?
Grade levels
7-9 / Sec. 1-3
10-12 / Sec. 4 & 5 / CEGEP 1
Common Poetic Terms and Forms
Contest Criteria
A tongue in cheek response to settler "concerns" about Indigenous languages
Bibliographical info
"Language" from Talking to the Disapora. Copyright © Lee Maracle. Published 2015 by ARP Books, Winnipeg.