Poem by Kaylene Iñuuraq Evans
The Qargzine, Spring 2019 #9
1.
they are whispered in the wind
etched in the weaving valleys
and on the rolling tundra
they are sung in the rushing river water
and hushed in the crashing waves
they have always been here
for us
now the sun’s shining on your heart
illuminating these lessons
to heal you once again
2.
The Land beckons
But never begs
She calls with
Sweet sighs of the wind
But do not forget
It can so easily
Turn freezing,
Chilling to your bone
Defensive, casting away
With the same breeze
You once thought
Was meant to
Comfort
and
Caress you
3.
have you noticed your chapped lips
look just like the jagged mountains you are from
your dry, cracking skin mirror the shattering ice
your curves resemble the winding waterways
that provide joy and sustenance
your folds of the skin same as the rolling tundra with berries you feast on
once you see the ways in which you are
a reflection of the land
you can love yourself as you do the land
and you will stop hating the very parts of you
that reveal how much you have weathered,
you beautiful and striking life force
