Kwey to all my readers,
The ‘I AM A HUMAN BEING’ book of poetry is finally in my hands. Wayne Odjick and Sid Cooko of Anishinabe Printing at Kitigan Zibi delivered 39 boxes of books to my home on November 23.
I AM A HUMAN BEING is an anthology of poetic perspectives on the topics of love, death, support, honour and other emotions contained in the human heart. They are offered by established poets, by folks who dabble at poetic wordsmithing and by deep-thinking high school students from Ottawa schools. And may I proudly add, include 24 from the Kitigan Zibi School.
Readers will find that this book will bring forth a powerhouse of emotions, reaching to the depths of your soul. Your heart is in for a treat. I am so impressed!
There will be a book launch on Sunday, December 18 at 3 pm at Christ Church Cathedral, 414 Sparks St., Ottawa. If you can’t make it to the book launch, you can purchase the book through my website: http://albertdumont.com/books/i-am-a-human-being/
All proceeds generated from sales of this book will go towards promoting poetry as medicine, bringing healing to those finding themselves in emotional distress.
This initiative could not have happened without the support of Verse Ottawa. The ‘I AM A HUMAN BEING’ book of poetry is/will be recognized I’m sure, as a major legacy of mine as English Poet Laureate for the City of Ottawa.
3 samples for your perusal are:
Floating
by Lionel Whiteduck
Floating to a new world
Gasping for air
Afraid – I cry
Needing care
Finally grown up
I seek to express my feelings
Thirsty for water
Thirsty for life
Yearning to procreate
Heart is floating
Love appears
Then growing old
Heart beats slowly
Thoughts become hazy
Gasping for air
My thoughts float away
My breathing stops
I travel to a new world
I am a human being
Scraped Knees
by Dawn Steiner
Air whooshes out of me
I try to breathe
Girls in boxed pleated tunics
Surround me
I begin to cry
I cry into multiplication tables
Into mid-afternoon story time
I cry when my pencil breaks
When a breeze gentles the papers
On Miss Sutherland’s desk
When a chickadee lands on the windowsill
I cry for the gerbils caged
At the back of the classroom
For Tommy who stutters
For my dog
I cry for my aunt who is dying
For my cousin who hasn’t been told
I cry for all the sadness
In my mother’s eyes
I am a Human Being
by Papegabiisa
I am young
Watching my father slowly die
But the feeling you have
Watching a loved one die
Is like the world falling apart
A 20-pound weight on your chest
And breathing is like a chore
Having to prepare for despair
No one can prepare for that
Having to go about your day
Not knowing
Whether your father is alive or dead
Having to continue on your day
With a mask, pretending
That everything is fine when it is not
No one knowing what is going on
Going through it alone is enough to feel hopeless
Always wondering
When was the last time you hugged them
Or said I love you
Knowing you may never say
A proper goodbye
Keep the Circle Strong,
South Wind (Albert Dumont)
