kwékwa7 skicz7a wi kwimtscen

kwékwa7
i remember
when I didn’t know

there would be glimpses
of the pain you held
we would sit in silence
starring out the window
where would you go

every time we visited
i would leave in pain
like a little flower being plucked from the earth
the water fading
the trees watching

i didn’t know then
stories buried deep
but they would seep
and i weep

droplets of the lake cover my skin
they shimmer in the sun
I look above pqus
k̓alhwá7acw. is that you
I remember
ka-cwepcwép-a
the train going by
little feet in the water laughter
i hold onto the sounds of your laugh your love

i know now
but you are already gone i don’t want to believe it

the water holds me
my body floats above the lake
it hushes me with its cool touch
it takes my sadness and anger into the depths of its body
nt̓púlm̓ecw

i push myself beneath its skin
its softness shelters me
ílal it knows

and i am here
i am yours

Award Recipient

• Vancouver Art Attack Award for Excellence in Visual Arts

Honourable Mention

• ECU Graduation Award for Anti-Racism + Social Justice – Visual Arts