Our home is this country

Poems from Here with Maine Poet Laureate Stuart Kestenbaum

Today’s poem is “Our home is this country” by Rita Joe, who was a Micmac poet and songwriter. She was born on Cape Breton Island and lived in East Bay, Nova Scotia until her death in 2007. She was the author of Poems of Rita Joe, L’nu and Indians We’re Called, Songs of Eskasoni, and We are the Dreamers Recent and early poems (Breton Books). She was awarded the Order of Canada. She began writing poetry after her children came home from grade school with homework that she thought was derogatory in its depiction of native people.