Description
Witness, I Am is divided into three gripping sections of new poetry from one of Canada's most recognized poets. The first part of the book, "Dangerous Sound," contains contemporary themed poems about identity and belonging, undone and rendered into modern sound poetry. "Muskrat Woman," the middle part of the book, is a breathtaking epic poem that considers the issue of missing and murdered indigenous women through the reimagining and retelling of a sacred Cree creation story. The final section of the book, "Ghost Dance," raids the autobiographical so often found in Scofield's poetry, weaving the personal and universal into a tapestry of sharp poetic luminosity. From "Killer," Scofield eerily slices the dreadful in with the exquisite: "I could, this day of proficient blooms, / take your fingers, / tie them down one by one. This one for the runaway, / this one for the joker, / this one for the sass-talker, / this one for the judge, / this one for the jury. / Oh, I could kill you."
Interesting and thought provoking
The first section was a little slow for me as I kept having to read the English translations for words (which are included next to the test, thankfully), but over all I found this collection to be very thought provoking and interesting. I'm definitely going to read some more of his work.
A side note: this collection, thought not purposely connected, relates well to The Break by Katherena Vermette as they both address the issues of being Metis (not white, not Native) and of missing and murdered indigenous women (though, in The Break, it's more about how systemic racism often means that Natives are ignored). I would also consider pairing it with Katherena Vermette's poetry book North End Love Songs.