Taking on Resurgence
by Tawahum Bige

This 4-poem submission is tied tightly to my Dene & Cree ancestry while exploring alternatives to urban colonial constructs on Turtle Island. It connects our intergenerationally traumatic pasts that are also rich & resonant with envisioning for the future that moves beyond merely surviving. It’s about finding healthy outlets for our despair, using those to rise above colonialism and build up our communities without constantly being in trauma-reaction to colonialism.

This means authentically exploring the pain to see where its roots are so they can be tended to with compassion—so much of this work we proclaim “decolonial” will be much easier when we can see ourselves with compassion and still stand up against injustice. This isn’t about demanding a new future but cultivating it by healing our villages, wherever and however they might be.