Article 3: Nimosom, Nohkom

By Taylor Flett

My grandfather lives in
The roots of the birch wood trees
And within the stones that offers his wisdom
Of this land.
He is the heaven and earth
Who provides us.
He is the blood running through
Our people.

My grandmother lives in
The air that carries her love
And within the lakes, rivers and streams
Of this land.
She is the heaven and earth
Who protects us.
She is the blood running through
Our people.

They are the wolves howling
For us to remember,
They are the lights that dance in the night sky
To guide us,
They are the sun and the moon to warm us
In our darkest times.
They are the blood running through
Our people.

About the poet: Taylor Flett is a young Cree woman from Split Lake, Manitoba. This is her third year at the University College of the North, currently studying English as her major. Taylor has goals of becoming an elementary teacher and hopefully a writer one day. She is an avid reader of sci-fi and fantasy novels who also enjoys fishing with her family and binge-watching Netflix. You can find her slipping on icy roads or her nose buried in a book.

Instructor’s Remark: Taylor Fleet is one of my students in Indigenous Women and Literature Part I (ENG 3300). Her poem invites us to meet her grandfather in the woods, her grandmother by the lake, and her people in the world of nature (Dr. Ying Kong).