Article 6: Colonized

Charlie McGillivary

Invisible in conscience
You want me to be a part of your world
Why do I not belong?
Am I a reminder of what you could not erase?
Expected to be a fellow citizen
But you still follow me around in businesses
Dirty skin and dirty hands waiting to steal
Did you not steal from me first?
I do not appreciate being stared at
I have done nothing wrong
Do not ignore me when it matters
Do not turn away when I lash out
You asked for this reaction
I am a human being
Punished for standing out
Youth walk with their heads down
Blending in to survive
Traditional ways forgotten
Survival of the fittest
Resilient until you are not
Carrying the shame is exhausting
The trauma is too heavy
Men take the wheel and sit idle
Children caught in the crossfire
Women given no credit
Not to blame for what ancestors did
Civilized men colonizing bodies
Ravaged the land and then the soul
Invalidating my experience
Did you just gaslight me?
The anxiety is crippling
You do not know what it is like
She was drinking
She provoked him
She started it
It is not her fault
She is surviving
You are gliding
Little to no safety in an oppressive system
Brown skin is not dirty
Brown skin is not dangerous
We are all related
My relatives deserved to live
Indigenous babies deserve to be loved
Indigenous children are worthy of protection
Accountability is necessary
It is time to be uncomfortable