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Celebrated poet Gimaa R. Stacey Laforme reflects on Grief, Hope, and Reconciliation

July 3, 2025   ·   0 Comments

By Riley Murphy

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

During National Indigenous History Month, residents were invited to join in a night of words and reflection by celebrated poet and storyteller Gimaa R. Stacey Laforme.

The event, hosted by the Town of Caledon and IDEA Caledon, allowed attendees to gain insights into the power of poetry as art, as told by Laforme.

Laforme, previously Chief of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation (MCFN), has been serving his community for more than 20 years.

Laforme shared poems from his books, Living in the Tall Grass and Love, Life, Loss, and a Little Bit of Hope: Poems from the Soul.

His poetry collections invite non-Indigenous people to see through the eyes of Indigenous people, exploring topics such as peace and humanity, grief, trauma, and hope, while also drawing from his own life experiences.

“There’s things within the books that I write that are about raising consciousness, not just living in the moment. Enjoy your moments, life is made up of moments. But we have an obligation to the future and you can’t always meet that obligation by living in the moment,” shared Laforme.

He began writing poetry in Grade 8, and after that, picked it back up after his mother passed when he was only 29. 

“I don’t know why I chose poetry, but I chose poetry instead of writing about it. And then from there, I just kept writing,” said Laforme.

Laforme shared that he feels he can do good things more broadly through his work now than he could during his time as chief.

“I always felt constrained by the role of being a political leader in a First Nation because I always wanted to do more for more people,” said Laforme. “I enjoy this side of it better, interacting with many different people from many different backgrounds.”

“One of the greatest things that we need to remember is we’re all in this together,” shared Laforme. “But sometimes we’re asking the wrong questions. Because we’re thinking of the moment. We’re not thinking of the big picture. We should be asking those other questions, those hard questions. And that’ll change the dynamic in how we see other people.”

Standing at the front of the room, Laforme wore a red ribbon shirt with an eagle and ribbons along the back and sides.

Red symbolizes missing and murdered indigenous women, the eagle represents one of the most important animals in the Anishinaabe indigenous world view, and the ribbons are a symbol of remembrance and support for Indigenous residential school survivors and those who did not return home.

Laforme read his poem titled Reconciliation.

“I sit here crying

I don’t know why

I didn’t know the children

I didn’t know the parents

But I knew their spirit

I knew their love

I know their loss

I know their potential

And I am overwhelmed

By the pain and the hurt

The pain of the families and friends

The pain of an entire people

Unable to protect them, to help them

To comfort them, to love them

I did not know them

But the pain is so real, so personal

I feel it in my core, my heart, my spirit

I sit here crying and I am not ashamed

I will cry for them, and the many others like them

I will cry for you, I will cry for me

I’ll cry for the what could have been

Then I will calm myself, smudge myself, offer prayers

And know they are no longer in pain

No longer do they hurt, they are at peace

In time I will tell their story, I will educate society

So their memory is not lost to this world

And when I am asked

what does Reconciliation mean to me

I will say I want their lives back

I want them to live, to soar

I want to hear their laughter

See their smiles

Give me that

And I’ll grant you reconciliation.”

“We all know there were children left behind. But it’s one thing to know that. It’s another thing to have the TV come on and slap you right in the face with that information. I was sad. I was hurt. I was angry. I felt someone’s love and sympathy for the family. And so, I sat down and wrote, Reconciliation,” he shared.

“Because these aren’t just indigenous children. These are the children of this country. These are our children.”

When people ask Laforme what they can do, whether by donating or raising awareness, Laforme tells them to get together with their community.

“Do something in your own backyard that means something to you, something that you won’t forget.”

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