The Liminality Journal

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Collector
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Collector

a poem to settlers

Kaitlin Curtice
Oct 22, 2021
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This poem is inspired by the #settlercollector movement, a way to support Indigenous folks on social media who get attacked by trolls and well-meaning Liberals. You can read more about it here.

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Collector

You always come for us—

Into our words,

Into our spaces,

Sometimes into our minds.

We cannot escape you,

Because the settler way

Is difficult to escape,

So we inhale you like bad air.

You show up

With hateful speech

And a malicious grin

And words made for violence.

You show up

And remind us

Why we don’t trust

Anyone but the earth.

So we collect you—

We collect all the speeches

And the grins

And the violence in words.

We collect evidence.

And one day,

We will roll out the scroll

And name the pain.

One day,

We will roll out the scroll

And you will be there

And we will name your violence.

One day,

We will roll out the scroll

And everyone will know

That we live beyond you.

You always come for us—

But one day, we will return for you

Along with everyone who believed

That the world could be better.

We will return for you

And when you say you didn’t know

We will remind you

That you always knew what a soul was.

We will will return for you

And we will remind you

That while you chose violence

We chose survival and thriving.

We will roll out the scroll

And plant it in the dirt

Like seeds

And you will weep with us.

And when a field of wildflowers

Grows in its place

We will hold your hands

And you will find your soul again.

We will collect you,

Gather you up,

And remind you of what once was

And what will always be.

You always come for us—

But one day,

There will only be wildflowers

And the clean water they drink from.

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Friends, don’t forget, most of my writing will remain free, because I believe that sharing my words with all of you is what creates this community. For free subscribers, you’ll still get access to my essays and some original poetry. 

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Onward, friends, together.

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Vivian Vega (Viv)
Oct 22, 2021

This is so powerful, Kaitlin. SO powerful!

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Gail Angus Robinson
Nov 7, 2021

Kaitlin I just do not understand your poem about settlers. I am in Scots who’s people have fought to maintain an independent country for over 1000 years despite the Scandinavians and English etc invading us. We were never conquered . We maintain strong feelings about the What was done to us by the English which included burning our cottages in the highlands and clearing our land where we survived in order to graze sheep This was known as The Clearances. Because of this in order to survive there was a great Scottish immigration to North America. We were also forbidden to walk to wear the tartan which was our identification of the clan that we belong to and we were forced to speak English and not our native Gaelic .

However as a 12 year old I was brought to Australia with my family who had a total of $100 to their name Because of the close of many industries in Glasgow . They came to Australia to begin a new life. Are we responsible then for being settlers in an aboriginal nation?

There was a huge debate a few years ago about our Prime Minister saying sorry to the aboriginal people for the invasion in 1788 . One prime minister refused to and the PM Kevin Rudd apologised on behalf of the nation.

https://www.nma.gov.au/defining-moments/resources/national-apology

Now friend told me that at a Christian school in our town, her son who is 10 years of age and is Canadian born was forced to stand up and say sorry to an Aboriginal child in his grade four, for what the settlers had done.

I know I am not as articulate as you are Kaitlin but when do we let the past stay in the past and move on? As I am not American I do not live there , there are lots of posts on The Chapel and some of yours here That contain thoughts that seem to be just American. I had never heard the word BIPOC until I read it here.

Maybe it’s a cultural differences over there?

anyway I hope you make sense of my ramble and can clarify what is possibly a cultural difference for those in America or maybe we could extend out to what has happened in other countries where people who subscribe to you live? I will finish with a traditional Scottish greeting.

Slantie Mhath !

https://www.google.com.au/search?q=slainte+mhath&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-au&client=safari

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