Tell Our Stories Together, poetry edition
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In our third instalment to celebrate National Poetry Month, FRIENDS is launching the poetry edition of Tell Our Stories Together. Four weeks into nation-wide self-isolation measures, we continue to see one Canadian artist after another using their time and talents to uplift our spirits, even while they are sequestered at home. There is no doubt that music, poetry and film connect us as we live apart, together. We asked four talented Canadian poets to record some original work that speak to this strange, challenging and beautiful time we are in.
During the initial outbreak of COVID-19, the virus was given several unfortunate nicknames that were racist and derogatory towards Asians. The backlash and sinophobia faced by diasporic Asian communities continue to this day as they, like the rest of the world, fight to stay safe and stop the pandemic from spreading. When asked to share a poem, Vancouver-born slam poetry champion Chris Tse immediately thought of his dad — a Chinese immigrant who battled racism and sinophobia as he worked to secure a better future for his kids. Chris is currently in Cuzco, Peru where he's tweeting his daily adventures under quarantine.
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Many of us have been thrown into survival mode: whether we're caring for a loved one, figuring out where our next pay cheque is coming from, or facing the myriad daily struggles of our new normal. Spoken word artist Basmah Ahmed reminds us that we don't have to stay in that survival mode, and that we can move forward by taking a deep breath. You can find more of her writings online.
The words for this poem came to spoken word artist Rollie Pemberton on his flight from Banff to Toronto, just before Canadians were officially instructed to practice self-isolation. Even though we are now living through a strange period, Rollie believes the things that united us before the outbreak will continue to bind us together now and into the future. Rollie shares his rumination on life as Cadence Weapon on Twitter.
Artists Mark Laliberte and Jade Wallace began collaborating online over long distance but they are now sequestered together with their cat and dog in their home in Windsor, Ontario. Between spending their time with new hobbies—washing their hands and wondering, "Can you get COVID from that?"—they're collaborating on a chapbook titled Zzoo. They've shared with us three original poems from the manuscript. You can learn more about their collaboration on their website.