I will never learn my language

So don’t try to convince me that

I can

Because at the end of the day

I can’t do this

And I’m not going to lie to myself by saying

I can regain it

So I will remind myself

That I am not Inuk enough

And nothing you say will make me believe

I’m strong enough to take it back

Because no matter what

People will put me down for trying

And I wonder if

I can persevere through this

Because when I look in the mirror, I constantly think

Can I take back my language?

Am I Inuk enough?

Now read it backwards.

Solomon Ratt translated Emily-Danielle’s poem (with permission) into Plains Cree (y-dialect). Since the poem is reversible, he provided audio reading from the top down, and from the bottom up. There’s a quote from American car manufacturer Henry Ford that carrries the idea even more tightly: “Whether you believe you can do a thing or not, you are right.”

nama wîhkâc nikakî-kiskêyihtên nipîkiskwîwin

sôskwâc kâya kakwê-kaskimin

ta-kaskihtâyân

ayisk kâ-kîsi-kîsikâk

namôya ôma nikakî-itôtên

êkwa namôya nika-kiyâskimison ta-itwêyân

kâwi ta-otinamân nika-kaskihtân

namôya nahiyikohk nitiyiniwin

namôya kîkway itwêyani nika-tâpwêhtên

nahiyikohk ê-sôhkisiyân kâwi ta-otinamân

ayisk kiyâm kîkway itôtamâni

ayisiyiniwak nika-tapahtêyimikwak ê-kocihtâyân

nimâmitonêyihtên kîspin

nikakî-âhkamêyihtên ôma

ayisk kâ-kanawâpamisoyân wâpamonihk, kapê nititêyihtên

kâwi cî nikakî-otinên nipîkiskwêwin?

nahiyikohk cî nitiyiniwin?

hâw, asê-ayamihtâ ôma.

Reading from the top down:

Reading from the bottom up: