Seething from ZOETRY by Pricelys

When I forget a poem,
I think, I must have lost its purpose

The kindling I’ve used to evoke this emotion
shall not be used for my ego’s circus.

I wish to gift the collection
Of images I have kept captive
Freely
like birds from cages
Or, kids from rezzes
They don’t belong here forever

I want to offer these constellations
In a way that encapsulates
a collective passion
For healing
That I see across all nations
Worldwide
And feel,
Mostly, when I’m barefoot and aligned
When I remember
I. AM. ALIVE.

I don’t read my poetry as often as I need
When I speak, my mouth burns blue with the memories
I still seethe at the sight of old white men with big chests
Loud voices
The unwanted caress
My words are not my weapons but my wings
They help me stay in the melody of my breath
Sing.
A remedy for all I have left.

There is no such thing as authority to me anymore
I have given up my control before
loathed the hope they took as war
Abhorred the torrent of tears
That I harboured
Tore through my scriptures
Like my thoughts take me farther
From the truth
now…
I. AM. HERE.

Like Humpty, Dumpty.
I sway silently
back and forth
Like a blue flame that knows how to finds a home on a torch
Promises I’ve made
tales I’ve sung
Have all come trailing back
Like rez kids,
All. At. Once.

Now, still, I lay awake
Strumming the cache of chords in my mind
Like triggers to the trauma
could have sworn I left behind
I like this song though
It’s the one I know most

I even dream too honestly
The backpack I fall asleep with
Still follows me
Reminding me of the times
I was taught to doubt myself
Then left to find a couch
the rush of finding sanction is still haunting me
I’ve convinced it to believe
I have what it takes
I carry the weight of this disdain silently.
Miming
What’s inside of me
We are here to drift between
The stories
Whispered quietly
Between the rez
The road allowance
The city streets
We are simply an anomaly
Observed as an oddity
Traded as commodity
How peculiar an Indian performance can be

• Hip-Hop/Rap
• indigenous hip hop
• spoken word poetry
• Saskatoon