HONOR POEM To my ancestors
who have gone before me, oh what you have endured A loss so
profound, I believe your stories must be heard Silence no more,
speak the wrong that’s been done I hope this is the
season where true healing has begun It is more than
just the stories you have walked thru Stolen was the
childhood, the one you never quite knew Taken from your
own home with no understanding Lost in a moment,
your sense of belonging Your braids were
cut off, your clothes were taken Everything you
believed in was now completely shaken From the language
you spoke to the food you ate Your very culture
was stripped, just to assimilate Forget the
lullabies, the childish dream, the birthday wishes Now began your
nightmares, instead of butterfly kisses In the darkest of
dark, your long nights full of fears Not having your
mother to wipe away your young tears For at the hands
of another, broken bones and crushed spirits The kind of names
you were called, no child should ever have to hear it I dare to imagine
the life you didn’t choose The things that
had happened when you walked in your little shoes But I want you
know, I’ve listened with all my heart I will remember
the children the years their lives fell apart To the men who
have wept for the first time in years To the women who
are starting to look at their fears To the ones whose
stories have yet to be shared To the lives lost
for their burden was too hard to bare I honor your
journey, though long and hard I acknowledge the
memories that have left your soul scarred Now I hope and I
pray I will live to see This hurting
generation finally free Free from the
shame, the guilt and the sorrow Out of the ashes
can rise a better tomorrow Michelle
Nieviadomy
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