Aurora High School

The following two poems were submitted by Grade 11 students Jennifer Robichaud and Tanya Hayles.

My Childhood Fantasy

As a child,
I was once told of a place.
A place where the land is as diverse as
the people who live there.
A place where freedom and equality dominate
isolation and exclusion.
A place that ranks the needs of humanity above all else.
A place that my great-grandmother, born in the Soviet Union, only dreamed of.

Creating this image of near perfection,
I could see the rolling plains, treacherous mountains
and lush forests.
Along with this geographical image,
I also saw the people.
Men, women and children,
Natives, immigrants and settlers.
All of them belonging to a minority,
All of them equal.

I envisioned a civilization based on freedom:
Freedom of speech,
Freedom of expression,
Freedom of mobility.
Within this society one can hold their right of innocence
until proven guilty.
And if guilt is proven, justice is served.

It was not until later,
That I realized this fantasy world that I dreamed of
actually existed.
This place was my home.
This place is CANADA.

Jennifer Robichaud

WHAT DOES BEING A CANADIAN
MEAN TO ME?

When I go outside,
I see.
When I go outside,
I move.
When I talk to you,
I speak.
When you talk to me,
I hear.
When I think about
those not like me
those trapped in war
I think about how lucky I am to be me
Me. I am a Canadian
one of the lucky ones who
sees what this country stands for,
who know what this country is all about.
When I see the flag
blowing in the wind,
When I hear the national anthem
being played after a race,
When I scream & yell
at a Jays game at Skydome,
I get goosebumps
and my heart gets filled with joy
I wonder what that means
and it finally hits me:
it's the feeling of pride
we should always have
because we are all Canadians,
and you should always
take it to heart.


Tanya Hayles

Le poème qui suit a été soumis par Tanya Hayles, une élève de la onzième année à l'École secondaire Aurora.

En allant dehors,
Je vois.
En allant dehors,
je bouge.
En bavardant avec toi,
je parle.
Quand tu parles à moi,
j'écoute.
Quand je pense à ceux
qui ne sont pas comme moi,
qui vivent dans les pays de guerre,
je pense que
je suis chanceuse
d'être moi.
Moi, je suis canadienne.
Une des chanceuses qui
voient ce que ce pays représente.
Quand je vois le drapeau
qui souffle dans le vent,
quand j'entends l'hymne national
jouer après une course
quand je crie
à un jeu au Skydome
mon coeur devient tout content
je veux savoir ce que ça veut dire
et soudainement ça me frappe :
c'est la fierté
que nous devrions avoir toujours
parce que nous sommes canadiens,
prenez-le à coeur.


Tanya Hayles