150,000
You snatched us
Away from the arms
of those we call our. own
Into the darkness
that we were not able to break free from
Into the pitfalls
of what you called reform
Into the hands
of what was deemed religious
Into the grave that silenced the horrors
Horrors of what you put us through
In the name of assimilation
In the name of integration
In the name of abolition
Domination.
Extinction.
Your ways kept us locked
Even when we were released
Back to the arms of our people
Who we no longer knew
The language whose melody
And words we couldn’t even say
To a tribe that welcomed our arrival
Yet surprised at the hollow shell
Surprised at the disdain
Surprised at the apathy
The disrespect
The cruelty
The disconnect
The place we’ve been is hell
Ran by people in robes and shrines
where blood of our people flowed