Remind me
of what we were like
when we were free.
Unburden me.
I’ve been weighed down
by all the lies
you asked me to believe.
I used to be wild;
a savage in a savage land.
But you took me
in your hand
and made me like you,
Impotent and vile.
I never asked for your life.
I am not your child.
My kind came
from the mountain heights,
from the deep forest,
from under these northern lights.
We didn’t take
the bargains that you made.
We didn’t ask you
for your nation state.
The wind and the rain
are sovereign here.
Remind me why
you appeared?
HG – 2021
