I Love This Land by Chief R. Stacey LaForme (Grade 7-9)

Written in the voice of a First Nations soldier, Chief, R. Stacey LaForme’s poem “I Love This Land” details the inequity First Nations soldiers faced when they returned from home from the First World War. In this moving piece, he explores themes of national identity, honour, and sacrifice.

Chief R. Stacey LaForme is the elected Chief of the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation. He has served his community in Southern Ontario not only as Chief, but as a notable storyteller and poet for over twenty years. He has written several poems commemorating Remembrance Day and a collection of his poetry, Living in the Tall Grass: Poems of Reconciliation, was published in 2018.