To Be Canadian

By russell carisse

​Content warning: sexual assault

​why shld i lft a fngr?
i’m a petty poet wth
petite aspirations
a lebensraum baby
born in th cabbage
patch of english gardens
to build a national grift
r graft onto th Colonized
to splsh-splash n th lucre
nd eat each other’s shit but
i dont drink th oil patch tailings
so dont mind if i scratch
a rash r two and sneeze
freely while i watch rapists
on tv for sport r hockey
r something. . .i’ve lost the plot.

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​russell carisse is currently living on unceded Wolastoqiyik/Mi’kmaw territory in New Brunswick. Here they have resettled from Tkaronto to an off-grid trailer in the woods, with their family of people and animals, to grow food and practice other forms of underconsumption. russell is the author of three chapbooks, the latest, In The Margins. . .(above/ground press 2024). Their work can be found online and in print. Website: russellcarisse.carrd.co Mastodon: @[email protected]