Poetry Pause is the League of Canadian Poets’ daily poetry dispatch. Read “Amongst the Cedar” by Avis Blackbird.

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Amongst the Cedar

By Avis Blackbird

The layers of the forest breathe through me in waves

I have been waiting to unfurl my wings

I practice flying in my sleep

Keep searching for myself in other peoples’ validation

I want to break the wall with a war cry that I am here

I build an army of family

They believe I have wings

I wait amongst the cedar

With the owls and the hawks

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Copyright © Avis Blackbird

“Avis Blackbird is an author, visual artist and photographer living in the Pacific Northwest. She is a member of the Indigenous Arts Collective of Canada and the Federation of BC Writers. Avis holds degrees from the University British Columbia and recently completed her graduate work for counselling. She has multiple publications, and her full-length book of poetry: Lightning in Our Roots, will be released in the fall of 2026 through Brick Books. www.avisblackbird.com

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