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My name is Robert Dokis. I am a First Nations from an Ojibway community in the Dokis Reserve, Ontario.

J’écris depuis plusieurs années maintenant. J’ai développé un intérêt marqué pour la création de poèmes rythmés, que l’on peut chanter. J’ai beaucoup souffert dans la vie et, dès l’enfance, la création de chansons avec ma guitare m’aidait à traverser les moments difficiles. Déjà à cet âge, je tentais de trouver ma voix. J’ai initialement écrit beaucoup de poèmes pour des femmes de mon entourage, afin de les charmer et leur montrer mon amour.

Plus tard, les poèmes sont devenus une source de courage et de force pour traverser les difficultés, pour rester fort dans l’adversité, pour m’accrocher.

Dans mon processus de création, je chante chacun de mes textes dans ma tête. Ces textes sont une façon pour moi de regarder la vie de manière positive et de garder espoir en l’avenir.

Mes racines autochtones et la culture qui s’y rattache sont de grandes sources d’inspiration pour moi. Je reprends régulièrement certains thèmes, entre autres les valeurs sacrées, les animaux représentant la force et les herbes médicinales. Les prochains poèmes sont tous liés de près ou de loin à ces thématiques.

Miigwech,

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Cedar and Sage est un texte qui met de l’avant les bienfaits du cèdre et de la sauge. Le cèdre est un arbre qui aide à clarifier la direction que nous prendrons dans la vie, tandis que la sauge nous aide à nous libérer des mauvaises énergies grâce à sa fumée. Ce poème parle du fait de partager ces enseignements.

Cedar and Sage

Cedar and sage

Keeps my spirit

Safe each day

There is my way

And there is your way

And there is nothing

That can divide me away

Do you know what we say

There is another day

And I say what I say

But each one of us

Has our own way

And there is nothing

Wrong today

And I love you that way

What can I say

What can we do

Cedar and sage

Keeps my spirit

Safe each day

There is my way

And there is your way

Let us be in peace

Each day

Cedar and sage

Keeps my spirit

Safe each day

You know what they say?

Just believe in your

Own way

There is nothing wrong with your way

Cedar and sage

Keeps my spirit

Safe each day

There is my way

And there is your way

And there is nothing

That can divide me away

I stand tall today

And I believe in your way

And nothing can stop us today

Cedar and sage

Keeps my spirit

Safe each day

I believe what you say

Because I got respect that way

Cedar and sage

Keeps my spirit

Safe each day

If there is something today

Let the children play

You got your way

I got my way

Let there be peace each day

Share the love today

Steers the anger away

Cedar and sage

Keeps my spirit

Safe each day

And we all have our own way

That is OK today

Ayant grandi loin de ma famille, j’ai acquis la plupart de mes connaissances auprès des aînés autochtones en établissement. J’ai beaucoup apprécié leurs enseignements et je souhaitais leur rendre hommage dans l’un de mes textes.

Spirit Man raconte donc le quotidien d’un aîné autochtone en tant que leader spirituel. Il enseigne son savoir aux autres chaque jour, la terre, le sable, le sol sur lequel on marche. Il transmet paix et amour comme moyen pour traverser chaque journée.

Cette paix et cet amour se transmettent entre autres par la prière. Il existe différents moyens de faire parvenir nos prières.

Spirit Man

Spirit Man understands

He stands on this land

He holds our hands

And make us understand

The sand on this land

Is where our Ancestors

Last stand

My spirit soars

On top of this land

There is something to understand

If you take your time

To understand

You will get to know that this is also your land

In peace together we stand

Our Creator understands

I don’t ever want to lose my land!

This is sacred

Please understand

Spirit Man understands

Sacred lands

Together we stand

I have walked all my life on this land

It is where I understand

I dance to sacred drums

All my life on these lands

The water flows through my hands

There are so many things to understand

Spirit Man understands

He stands tall on this land

Helping us to understand

We are the veins

Of these lands

Respect and understand

This is also your land

I lay a prayer on this land

Now you also know how

I give you an eagle feather now

Now give out your hand

To someone who does not understand

The sand

And the trees that stand

Trying to understand

Whatever happens to my land

Our past is too painful to understand

But maybe one day

When there will be peace

We might give out our hand

May there be peace on my land

Je puise beaucoup de mon inspiration dans les épreuves traversées, que l’on parle de mon déracinement de ma famille à l’âge de 7 ans (Het Up), de mon éloignement de mes proches (Mountains Away; ici-bas) ou encore de mon parcours vers l’abstinence (Getting Through This Smoke; inclus dans le recueil à paraître).

Aucun sujet n’est tabou pour moi.

Het Up

You see, this couldn’t be!

As a child, I was lost for a while.

I didn’t know better,

I lost the letter of life forever.

And now we’ll never be together.

Lost in this weather, stormy forever.

Could someone please help me find my letter?

I will be better if my doctor stops this weather!

Het up, it was shut up!

I never knew what to do.

I just wanted to jump around to any sound,

I never knew that I was out of bounds.

Talking about sounds, I just bound around!

What is going down, people keep on shipping me around!

Het up, what’s up, they keep telling me to shut up!

They never knew how to show me what they knew

I never learned, my brain was burned,

Could someone take me and really teach me to learn?

I was burned, no one ever learned, and gave me my turn in life to learn!

And now life has gone by, and I lost my turn!

I will stay strong, and sing a song because life is not long!

Het up, get up, I can really be fed-up

So, I try to get out, and I only want to be all about fun

They keep on telling me to het up, shut up

Now I am getting fed-up

Will someone come and help me get out of this life of

Het up, shut up, now I need you to get up

Look out and give me some push-ups

I am really fed up, het up, no needs to be put up

With this het up, het up

Mountains Away porte sur mon trajet dans les Laurentides pour me rendre au pénitencier. Je me rappelle avoir observé des montagnes à perte de vue par la fenêtre du fourgon, chaque montagne m’éloignant davantage des gens que j’aimais, de mon chez-moi. J’y décris ma souffrance et ma douleur d’être séparé de ceux-ci. C’est pour moi une image des obstacles que j’aurais à surmonter pour revenir auprès des miens.

Mountains Away

Where am I anyways?

I can’t weigh how long to stay?

I am so many mountains away,

Tumbling, rolling, and losing way.

Where will it stop?

I am so many mountains away.

I have one thing to say,

But it doesn’t matter anyway.

Things that I say,

Words this way,

I am not running that way,

Or even saying to stay.

I just listen I say.

I am so many mountains away.

Show me the way?

But hear me.

But no one listens anyway!

What could I say?

Look my way!

Listen to my way?

Show me right away,

Teach me, preach me,

and all that I could say.

I am so many mountains away.

I worry and all the fears my way.

I got to fight every day that way.

I look away, and where to stay?

I am so many mountains away.

Say what you say.

Stay anyway, but don’t you say anymore lost words going and going!

Where do I get listened to anyways?

I am so many mountains away.

I turn, turn, rolling mountains in my way.

I am losing it every day.

Where did I say?

Learn every day.

Reach out my way?

Hear, feel and see my way.

I am so many mountains away.

I’ve been taken away!

Around the world, I say.

What time of the day did I say?

Could you say okay?

You know I got no time!

My world has been taken away.

I am so many mountains away.

When will it all come together?

I worry about the weather,

in a way to say.

I will pray today as it will turn away.

On me, all around me, oh can’t you see? It is blind to me!

I want to say, but I don’t know how to say it!

I will give a start, coming straight from my heart.

I am so many mountains away.

J’ai toujours évolué dans des institutions : à l’hôpital, de mes 7 à 12 ans, en détention juvénile, de mes 13 à 18 ans et en prison ensuite, depuis ce jour, me laissant seul et isolé avec ma souffrance. Le poème Can You Hear My Call? parle de ma souffrance vécue seul, sans la présence de mes proches et de la force intérieure que je développe par mes écrits et ma spiritualité pour ne jamais abandonner.

Can You Hear My Call?

Where can I start from it all?

Is there anybody out there at all?

Can you hear my call?

I stand here tall!

I think someone is going to lose it all!

Stand tall,

Keep on fighting it all!

Can you hear my call?

Can you see it at all?

I am like a tree that’s going to fall.

And no one is going to hear at all.

Stand tall,

We are going to break that fall.

One day, can you hear my call?

I see it all,

I even can hear it all.

Is that you?

Hold on, and stand tall.

I know it all,

I feel it all.

It hurts that I can’t stop this all!

Hold your head up,

Do your push-ups,

You got to be tough.

That’s enough,

I’ll never give up!

I won’t shut up,

I never give up!

Can you hear my call?

Do you see it all?

What’s been going on,

I can hear you in every song.

I stand tall

I won’t put my tail between my legs like a broken dog!

I’ll keep fighting it all!

Can anyone hear my call?

I stand tall!

I’ll make it through this all,

I got it all,

And I will just break the fall!

Can you hear my call?

Where is everybody?

Time passes too fast,

And now I come in last!

Can you hear my call?

And now I see it all,

I think I hear the call coming back to me.

I am glad that I found you,

My hope is coming true.

I guess I made it through.

But harm can’t be undone!

Now I will play my drum,

And pray to kingdom come,

To what has been done to me!

Les femmes de ma vie et l’amour sont également des sources d’inspiration importantes pour moi. La première femme à avoir marqué ma vie est évidemment ma mère. J’ai écrit en son hommage le texte Mother of Life. Je souhaitais mettre de l’avant sa personnalité et toutes les belles choses qu’elle nous a apportées à nous, ses enfants.

Il faut dire qu’ayant été retiré de ma famille à l’âge de 7 ans, j’ai souvent pleuré pour être avec ma mère. Mes poèmes sont une façon d’être près d’elle et de l’aimer. Ce poème porte également une partie de mon deuil, puisque ma mère est décédée trop tôt. Je fais le deuil de ma mère, mais également des moments que je n’ai pas pu vivre avec elle dû à mon éloignement de ma famille. Ma mère se retrouve dans mes prières tous les jours.

Mother of Life

Mother of life was my father’s wife.

Brought seven children to life.

She was so tragedy bright.

She brought us love that fit us like a glove.

She was always right and taught us all about what was wrong and right.

Mother of life

She had the way to a light that was bright.

But she closes to sit tight,

And give us sunshine day or night because she knew how to love her children and help us in our fight

Mother of life

For life can sometimes be not right

Mother of life went into a tunnel,

And saw that light

So many times, her heart shone and needed to be rewound.

And all we saw was mother coming along,

Singing a song, and getting along

Mother of life gave her children everything

That was love from her heart.

So many times, she almost lost the fight

But miraculously, she came back,

Again, and again.

Mother of life

Standing tall,

And helping us all.

Her life came to a wall

She knew that she might fall

No, listen, “Mom” is a miracle,

Mother of life,

She does not need to roll the dice.

She has what we want.

Love straight from the heart.

Caring straight from the start,

She cares like a masterpiece,

Her life is like art.

Mother of life,

Brought seven children to life.

Tears roll down,

I can’t hear a sound,

Of when you were around.

I take my drum and sing you some sounds.

I got so much to say when you were around, but now you’re gone, I guess now I will just pray.

Le poème Something I Can Do aborde mon profond désir d’aider mon prochain. J’y parle d’aider quelqu’un, d’aider les autres, d’aider des gens que j’aime. J’aimerais beaucoup par mes écrits ou encore par mes actions soutenir des gens qui en ont besoin.

Something I Can Do

Is there something

I can do

Is there something

I can say

And if you look

At me and you

And all the way

We love to do

My heart is up

To me and you

If there is one

The way I know to

Say

Today I am going

To have a good day

Is there something

I can do

Is there something

I can say

My heart is up

To me and you

Is there something

I can do

Just look at me

And you

Is there something

I can do

This love is really

True

My heart is up

To me and You

Catch this prayer too

I only got love for you

Can you see this?

Love that is true

Catch this kiss

Of love of blues

If it can help you

My heart is red

And my arms are open

All the way

For you too

Is there something

I can do

I will always be there

For you too

L’inspiration à l’origine de Criminal in Rhymes est en lien avec mon parcours de vie et mon intérêt pour les mots. Parfois j’écris simplement pour le plaisir lorsque je suis de bonne humeur, afin de transmettre de la joie.

Criminal in Rhymes

Criminal in rhymes

Criminal in times

I will make you

A rhyme

Give me your dimes

I won’t deceive you

This time

Criminal in rhymes

Criminal in times

Another day

Another time

Another day

Another dime

But this time

I will make mine

Each other day

Each other time

All I ever want

Is you by my side

Criminal in rhymes

Criminal in times

I will make you

All, all, mine

Sometimes, sometimes

This time, I don’t want

To miss you out of

Rhymes

Criminal in rhymes

Criminal in times

Each time you reach

Out to me

Each time I look you

In the eyes

I realize each time

I got you in a

Rhyme

Criminal in rhymes

Criminal in times

Each time I got

You one in time

Le poème Look All Around aborde mon positivisme. Par mes textes, je cherche à avoir du plaisir et à le transmettre aux autres. Mes écrits se veulent porteurs d’une certaine musicalité, car la musique a pour moi une fonction rassembleuse et porteuse de bonheur. C’est ainsi que j’arrive à tolérer les épreuves de la vie, en m’accrochant à la musique et à la danse et en reflétant ces passions dans mes textes.

Look All Around

I think I saw everything,

The people following

Each other around

Looking for the sound

Look all around

People are going all

Around

Some are getting down

Some are just walking

Around

Look all around

Beating with sound

Me, I am dancing

To the sound

Look all around

Love is going around

Now I am getting down

Can you hear this sound?

Look all around

People are getting down

Following the sound

I am dancing, I am romancing

I like being fancy

Being like a pansy

Look all around

People are following

The sound

There is nothing that

Is wrong

I love romance

In time I get what is going around

I like to follow,

the poetry rhymes and sounds

That I spread around

To follow you around