One On Stolen Land

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by Sunnybel_13

by Sunnybel_13

A/N: I wrote this for school this fall.

One On Stolen Land

How life blossoms
A curious thing,
How does a bird trill?
You ask me,
How does a tree grow?
I don't know.
Why does wind blow?
Are they whispers, murmurs,
Of ancient ones gone?
Is it the ever growing
Heartbeat of Miwok gone?
Here are we,
On stolen land.

Land,
A funny word,
A place,
A thing.
Yet, do we own it?
No, own it we do not,
We're no custodians of land,
Benefit do we,
On this stolen land.

Taken by force.
Taken by might.
Taken by power.
Taken.
Taken.
Gone.
Gone shall be culture
Ohlone and Miwok.
Lives transformed,
Conversion by force,
By fear.
"Savages" now categorize
This land's rightful owners
Darker skinned people
Pushed away toward the west,
Broken promises piece the path,
Colonizers,
Took land for their own,
The land now tainted
As stolen land.

Ohlone and Miwok gone not yet,
Fighters for their ancestral land
Fight.
Fight.
Fight for them
For their ancestors
For what have we become?
We thank the land,
Our home.
Home of the Miwok,
Home of the Ohlone,
Home on stolen land.

Gone are the days,
Of buffalo roam,
Gone are the days
Of healthy land,
Gone are the days
Of Earth's custodians.

Not below me,
Not below you,
Above all of us,
They watch us ruin
Tear, hurt, and pollute,
Their rightful home.

Our planet Earth,
She calls out in need,
But do we respond?
Do we ignore the calls?
Yes, we do.
But we must change,
We must help,
How, you ask?
Maybe the words,
Are hidden in my heart,
And in your heart too.
Maybe it's nature,
Telling us what to do.

I hear whispers,
Of wind?
Of messages.
Messages I need,
Messages we need,
To care for this land,
To care for their culture,
To band together,
To restore custodians,
We only benefit,
No work have we done,
On this stolen land.

How to help?
What to do?
On stolen land,
I am here.
To help?
I don't know.
I have a place,
A role,
The purpose of my life.

How life blossoms?
How does it happen?
I.
Don't.
Know.
Not yet.
I will learn,
I will care,
The purpose of my life,
Here.
I.
Am.
I.
Am.
Here.
One on stolen land.