T’was an October morn (or was it night?)
When you were born
In the hospital called New Cornelia,
But without your dad there
Shirley Talley held Mom’s hand
While she screamed and shouted obscenities.
Mayor Gene Talley sent a helicopter
To pick up Dad off the mountain,
And finally Dad showed up
To congratulate the family
Who managed to do it without him.
After a few days you and Mom came home,
And life hasn’t been the same since.
You drank Mom’s milk,
But it gave you the colic,
And soon you were the one that was screaming.
A papoose board up on Mom’s back
Kept you more comfy and happy.
We could visit the neighbours
Who warned I was risking
Your life by putting you out in the sun.
“The coyotes will get her,
Mosquitoes will carry her away.”
”I heard her cry; she’s bound to get a hernia
Or be burnt to a crisp in the sun.”
Somehow you survived.
A few years went by in the Ajo desert
With snakes and spiders, a horse and a donkey,
And little brother David came along.
Before he was one we left Arizona
And headed for northern Canada.
In the “garden capital” of the NWt; Fort Smith,
When you turned four
You were already ready for more
Activities, and our next door neighbour
Kindergarten teacher
Took you in a year early.
That way you had two years of kindergarten.
In Fort Smith you won some snowshoe races,
Joined the cross country ski team,
Played flute in the band,
And learned to canoe with the family.
After nine years in Fort Smith
With friends like Van Pelts, Kristensons, and Coopers,
Building a tree house,
And another baby brother Dan,
We moved to Yellowknife, capital of the NWT,
Where the world opened up for you,
And baby sister Sarah joined the family.
Camping with Brownies, Guides, and Beavers,
Even meeting the Queen and new friends,
You joined choirs, band, orchestra too.
You started to travel,
To Tuktoyaktuk, to Paris with Dad,
And even then to Sahtu
Where you had a ride in a real moose skin boat.
You wanted to learn languages
And to earn some degrees,
Starting off in New Brunswick, then Toronto and York U.,
Mexico, and Caraquet.
Traveling by plane, bike, foot, and canoe,
Gone from the family but home for Christmas.
Jobs in the North and Winnipeg too.
You didn’t grow very tall,
But you learned through it all
How to relate
And delegate
And let people know what to do.
Once in a while we would go to U.S.,
And finally even to Peru and Machu Picchu.
As Grandma and Grandpa predicted a world diplomat,
But your heart in the North all the while.
You’ve been such a great daughter,
Granddaughter, sister, and auntie,
Scholar, teacher, example, and friend.
Now you are becoming a champ.
You’re a champion not only at Scrabble
But a champion of Dene traditions too,
And not only that but a champion for wildlife
Especially the caribou like your Dad used to do.