Medicine Gathering, Saugeen First Nation, Autumn 2009

you’ve come for cedar on a day
discharging leaves like debts.

bundled and dropped by the road,
the limp boughs are heady

above the cigarettes and sweat.
this, you say, is healthy, is health:

a scrip dispensed in saw cuts,
a tailgate full of remedies.

there’s no reading to defend,
no parsing of this project down to fable.

just as well. i tire of stories.
best that apples rot as windfall,

and the panicked slips of rattling tails
be a simple caution.

best that burning branches

cancel obligation.

~ Richard-Yves Sitoski

“I’m an Owen Sound, Ontario based social activist, writer, and, as DeMentos, spoken-word artist. I’ve written academic articles and art reviews, have published fiction in
Grimm Magazine, and am a frequent contributor at local readings and arts events.”

4 Responses to “Medicine Gathering, Saugeen First Nation, Autumn 2009”

  1. You honour my heritage with your words. You honour my heart with your presence in my life.

  2. Susanna, I appreciate that very much.

  3. Thanks for explaining to me, Richard. I love the smell of burning cedar and appreciate your heartfelt emotion. Skillfully written.

  4. Thank you, Karen.

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