“Red and White, and What Was Stolen”

 The skies erupt in red and white,

A nation's pride, a gleaming sight.
Fireworks crackle over trees,
But silence whispers in the breeze.

For underneath the flags that wave,
Are buried stories, scars, and graves.
Before the anthem ever played,
A thousand treaties were betrayed.

The drumbeat of the Earth was drowned,
By boots that tore through sacred ground.
The children taken, names erased,
Their tongues and culture laid to waste.

We light our sparklers, cheer with glee,
While others mourn what used to be.
The maple leaf, so bold, so bright—
But not for all, a symbol of right.

Remember those who watched the flame
Devour their homes, deny their name.
Whose ancient songs were called “uncivil,”
Whose truths were buried, cold and brittle.

So raise your voice, but raise it true,
Let Canada be red and blue—
The blood that's spilled, the bruises made,
The cries that still have not yet swayed.

This day can hold both pride and pain,
But only if we break the chain.
Not just a party, not just cheer—
But space for truth, and hearts sincere.

So when you see the fireworks fly,
Look deeper at the smoky sky.
Ask who was here, and what was lost,
And how we might share every cost.