when you look at me do you see my blood quantum?
the quantities of who i am poured down
from generation to generation
do you see the lines that pull at me?
from the four directions
the history of Canada
written inside of me
or do you see the floating amoeba
the creatures that hunt my blood
their teeth razor sharp
devouring all that is unclean
do you see the mystery?
the imaginative world that exists inside,
bursts of colour
found only on the other side of universe
composite images seen through faulty telescopes
“Blood Quantum,” a painting by Francine Cunningham, made in conjunction with her poem of the same title.
Note that only the poem was published in our Emergence Issue.
