Ningikendaan akiin bakaanag onzaam gaa nindaanikoobijiganinaanig mazinibii’amawaawaad onzaam wiijiwag wanishinowaad daawaad noongom onzaam gii-izhi’iyan zhigo. Giishkaanaabikaa ina gidaaw gaye gichigami aawiyaan gemaa washkiyaanimaazoyaan gaawiin gikenimisiiyan? I know there are different worlds because our ancestors sent them messages because lost lovers now live in them because you just said that right now. Are you the carved shoreline and I the sweet water sea or am I the shifting wind you cannot perceive?
Poem recommended by:
Kristina Gómez
Library Staff
Why I chose this poem:
Margaret Noodin's What the Chickadee Knows is one of my favorite poetry collections. Noodin conceived the poems in Anishinaabemowin and then English. In reading "Gimaazinibii’amoon | A Message to You" I reflect on connections - to ancestors, to one another, to our physical world- across and through time. I recommend listening to Margaret Noodin's reading in Anishinaabemowin to experience the lyrical beauty of the poem.
