Lost Lessons of History

Silence

impenetrable

round gather the flock

intent

keeping secrets

keeping truths

hidden

for should the light shine down

should the reality be unveiled

destruction

repudiation of ideals

centuries in the teaching

spewing hatred

at those who are different

spewing disgust

at those whose voices are risen

in fear

in pain

in confusion…..

while paddles were implemented

boards hurt more than hands

cackle with evil delight

massacre the child

turn them all white…..

disgust churns

while voices rise in disbelief

shouting

louder than the silent cries

no wrong done…..

stand tall

scream your desperation

your flock shall fall.

Your sins will be painted

broad streaks of hate

against expanse of sky

bringing to light

darkest night

sins against all.

Time to tear down

to recreate

a theme

within which

religion has no place.

©Aug. 24/21

Picture is my own

My soul hurts.

More and more graves are being found.

Children are innocents.

They are not the bringers of destruction.

They are not the downfall of all society.

Angry words spoken

people on both sides

how to bring justice forth

when so many players are dead?

It is the institution

the ideology that taught these abuses as right.

Thou shall not commit murder.

The First of the Ten Commandment.

When none can follow the simplest of directives

none can be thought of as teacher.

No Blessings For Them

Blessed be the child stolen…..

blessed be the child beaten…..

blessed be the child raped…..

blessed be the child murdered…..

muttered prayers

words spoken

revoked

said you did

true thoughts

yours alone

or

symbolic of further hatred…..

966 bodies found.

In total in the last month on two separate residential school grounds.

In two separate provinces.

And this is the beginning.

Children.

I cannot even fathom how depraved and indifferent a person has to be to perpetrate crimes on this scale never mind that this was condoned.

By organized religion.

The catholic faith is not the only one  to be running those schools protestants did too; we just are not hearing from that circle quite yet.

Seems to me an inordinate amount of pedophiles and abusers found their way into the priest and nun life.

I realize as I am writing that I have yet to provide a description of Residential Schools.

Residential schools were government-sponsored religious schools that were established to assimilate Indigenous children into Euro-Canadian culture. Although the first residential facilities were established in New France, the term usually refers to schools established after 1880. Residential schools were created by Christian churches and the Canadian government as an attempt to both educate and convert Indigenous youth and to assimilate them into Canadian society.

https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/residential-schools

New France=Quebec

They were to convert and assimilate Indigenous youth.

Assimilate?

At first I was a little confused because truthfully the Indigenous were not the ones who should have been converting and assimilating; they were here first.

Europeans came second.

They should have been the one to make the changes.

But those men had one thing going for them in their superiority; they were white and had god on their side.

A little like slave owners who used the bible to justify their right to own human beings.

Cultural assimilation is what they were going for.

Cultural assimilation is the process by which a person or a group’s language and/or culture come to resemble those of another group.  Full assimilation occurs when new members of a society become indistinguishable from members of the other group.

There is a horror building that this country is going to have to account for.

We are going to have to sit and hear.

Not listen.

Actually hear what is being said.

We are going to have to face the atrocities.

We are going to have to take responsibility.

We are going to have to move forward stronger and together as one to grow and heal.

We are going to have to acknowledge and celebrate the Indigenous cultures in all their glory.

It is time for those Canadians who say this is not our problem not our time to sit down and shut up.

Listen.

Learn.

Be a part of the solution and not the problem.

©June 25/21

Picture is my own