Spotlight Virtual Concert Series: A City, A Belonging featuring the poetry of Sasha Suarez

A City, A Belonging by Sasha Suarez

anishinaabekwe stands on river shore,
water a series of scattered ice crack veins,
a chorus of howling wind and honking cars,
she remembers the way oookomisan loved
the waters of this city, held kwe over shorelines,
fists clenching shirt backs to let her fingertips drift
the surface. suspension is a feeling
anishinaabekwe is used to. that uncertainty
of slipping.

mewinzha apane gaa’waabamagiban imbaabaa

when kwe was kwezens, she used to roam tick-filled grasses,
socks peeled off, broad, brown feet meeting earth
and the scent of summer fresh and warm.
giiwedinong, where sharp rains left muddy trails
her stepsisters took as shortcut and she never knew
quite where they were going. it was unknown, giiwedinong.
kwe used to sit on a freshly mowed lawn
somewhere between a half-broken trampoline and the door,
suspended between obaabaayan and the bear
that lingered just on the edge of Cloquet woods,
and kwe remembered wondering how her father ended up
here, not city-bound, not back the way
aanikoobijiganag moved, but instead so close to gichigami
they went once or twice just because and what did it mean
that kwe felt lost so far from gichi-ziibing, the sound of sirens, and manicured city lawns?

gakaabikaang. gakaabikaang. gakaabikaang

kwe sometimes repeat her city’s name,
mantra or signal she hopes reaches out
in the winter night. a hum that comforts
against snowdrifts painted streetlight orange,
a reminder of anchor, a piece of akii that knows
her as being here on river shores, city streets,
old houses with memories hidden deep in walls,
and a history that twists through kwe and city,
finds a way to keep her just above water.
kwe loves the city with a love that isn’t a wonder,
that is all ache and thrum, a need to hold on,
hold on, hold on, and this city may not promise safety,
but it tries to keep her from drowning,
keep her dressed in warmth of stories and belonging,
familiar paths where she always knows where she’s been
and where she’s going, hand in hand with memories,
gakaabikaang vibrant all around her.