First Narrows, now known as Lion’s Gate Bridge (City of Vancouver Archives)
Sitting quietly by the First Narrows
remembering The Lost Salmon-Run,
of the ravenous yearning for strength,
unaware of the consequences
that will devastate our community,
shattering the solace seen in the sea.
Rumbling throughout the city of glass.
Making space for something new, though
no one asked.
It was for the greater good, they said.
They lied
and we could not believe them
They sought power
to feed a starving greed
to gross and gluttonous excess.
Though they never thought
it came at a cost.
And they did not believe us.
We have only
..the memories,
….the stories,
……the truth to guide us,
ground us to an existence that we can call home.
When they tell us to never forget,
we must remind them
we have never forgotten.
We are taught by
..our parents,
….our peers,
……our people,
we could not trust those who break promises made.
James Kim is currently in pursuit of a Master’s in Counseling Psychology: Art Therapy. When he’s not in class, they enjoy playing video games, watching television and movies, and, of course, writing poetry. James is so happy to have his poem published with Ricepaper and hopes you enjoy reading it as much as they had fun writing it!
James Kim’s poem is one of the shortlisted poems for the City Poems Contest for Emerging Poets. Watch his performance and reading of her poetry here.