Witness, I Am

by Gregory Scofield

Witness, I Am is divided into three gripping sections of new poetry from one of Canada's most recognized poets. The first part of the book, "Dangerous Sound," contains contemporary themed poems about identity and belonging, undone and rendered into modern sound poetry. "Muskrat Woman," the middle part of the book, is a breathtaking epic poem that considers the issue of missing and murdered indigenous women through the reimagining and retelling of a sacred Cree creation story. The final section of the book, "Ghost Dance," raids the autobiographical so often found in Scofield's poetry, weaving the personal and universal into a tapestry of sharp poetic luminosity. From "Killer," Scofield eerily slices the dreadful in with the exquisite: "I could, this day of proficient blooms, / take your fingers, / tie them down one by one. This one for the runaway, / this one for the joker, / this one for the sass-talker, / this one for the judge, / this one for the jury. / Oh, I could kill you."

Genres: Poetry, Indigenous, Canada

96 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2016

Reviews

[Maggie Gordon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Witness, I Am is a volume of poetry that should be spoken aloud. So much of Scofield's work is like a song with rhythm that remands to be heard. The book is split into three distinct sections, one dealing with thematic issues of identity, another a long-form poem about the missing and murdered Indigenous women, and the last more autobiographical. Another great read for those wishing to reflect on Canada post-150.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not every poem in this collection was really my preferred style, but every poem in this collection was definitely worth reading. Muskrat Woman was not my favourite portion of this, but I thought it was a unique and stand out way to look at traditional stories and the current issue of missing and murdered indigenous women. My favourite poems in the collection were Prayer for the Man Who Raped Her, She is Spitting a Mouthful of Stars, and This is an Honour Song for Billy Jack, in that order.

I would recommend this for anyone looking for a good collection of poetry, and for anyone specifically interested in exploring more indigenous poetry. I definitely intend to look into reading more of Scofield's work.

[Care · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three stars for the majority of these poems and four stars for "Muskrat Woman" so I'm evening it out to a 3.5 star review.

[Colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

While poetry is never going to be my thing, there were a few parts of this that resonated with me.

[Gen · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite reads this year. Very moving; distrubing in a way that will make one rethink their way of viewing experiences of Indigenous people and women, particularly those of Metis descent.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

confirmed i just don’t like poetry all that much. especially when i have to read it for school. but regardless! some really good ones in this collection

[Lorraine Angel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always felt that the veracity of Indigenous people has been overlooked. Who better to listen to about the past then the people whose ancestors passed along this information from one generation to the next? We can’t simply depend upon sources provided by a dominant culture. I believe this book has provided information that is sacred, but also painful. It’s about taking pride in who you are but more importantly where you come from. To continue the resistance. Beautifully written.

[Zoë Birss · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read most of this book twice.

Scofield's book of poetry is a meditation on missing and murdered First Nations women in Canada. It is in three parts. The first is a long form poem called Muskrat woman, a retelling of a sacred Cree story. The middle section is a dark and raw collection of grief and violence called Ghost Dance. The final section, called Dangerous Sound, is filled with rhythmic and thoughtful verse that begs to be read aloud.

My first time through I was intrigued by Muskrat Woman, though I was confused by how much of this retelling of a sacred Cree story sounded like ancient Hebrew myth. I struggled to understand it, but allowed myself the experience, and enjoyed it enough.

The middle section, Ghost Dance, I had a very difficult time reading. Perhaps I miss the necessary context, or perhaps the poetry is simply too enigmatic for my intellect. I am not as frequent a reader of poetry as I am of prose, and do not claim to be a fantastic interpreter or critic. What I know is that I found them eery, dark, and unfortunately, somewhat boring. My favourites were Sending You Away On A Boat Of Your Making, Ghost Dance, and Almost Gone (all three of which took me the second reading to enjoy). However, I have no doubt that this middle section could probably be understood and appreciated by a more mature reader of poetry than I, because of how certain I am of the excellence of the last section.

I loved Dangerous Sound so much. I had to read almost every poem aloud. These are rhythmic poems, almost song-like. More than one I imagined as sung by Johnny Cash, or some First Nations Canadian like him. This was especially so with Since When, one of the last poems in the book, that runs like a freight train. These are dark, like the rest of the book, but they also jump and sputter with life. They were a delight to read, and brimmed with meaning. When I came to the end, having finally fully appreciated this writer, I returned to the beginning of the book with new eyes.

After a second reading, I found I still did not find myself fully feeling a grasp on the first two sections of this book. However, I know the feelings they gave me, and I deeply appreciate the thoughtfulness in their creation. Muskrat Woman especially will continue to haunt me, I am sure. While I still struggled with Ghost Dance, on second reading the first long for, poem opened up to me in ways I couldn't discern the first time through. It is beautiful and sad and challenging and true.

This is the first book of poetry that I have read in at least three years that I am sure will call me back. There are depths to this writer to which I have not yet found the access. I am impressed enough by what I've read here to seek out more by him.

I recommend this book to any lover of contemporary dark, challenging, and narrative poetry.

[Beth Bauman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scofield's poetry is amazing! I was looking for adjectives to describe it, and it is too gritty to just be "nice," and too sad to be "enjoyable," but I would totally re-read this collection. But yes, the content is pretty heavy: it talks A LOT about murdered/missing/abused Indigenous women, about the names and the tragedy and the bones. The beginning of the book is a fascinating blending of folk tales, creation myths, and modernity, and I could pick out various narratives and symbols, but all twisted a bit and in a new context and with new meanings behind them.

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favourites in this collection are Muskrat Woman, Dangerous Sound and Since When. This is an important collection about the missing and murdered Indigenous women in Canada, and what it means to be Indigenous in this country.

[Erin Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life-changing and transformative.

[Bab · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some brilliant little bits in there. Nice little read.

[Jocelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars. Powerful. Touching.

[Malou]

DNF (boek moest terug naar de bieb)

[Cassidy Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

[4.5/5]

[Clivemichael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Evocative.

[Adrienne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Scofield’s voice really comes alive in this book of poetry. The poems were definitely lyrical and I imagine they would be transformed once read or performed out loud. The content was good – emotionally heavy but important. The aspects related to Christianity were just not my cup of tea. I didn’t love the "experimentational" format, and sometimes when poetry sounds internally too much like spoken word, I tend to not like it as much. The section dedicated to missing and murdered indigenous women was moving and I greatly appreciated its inclusion.

[Dana Neily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well put together book of poetry about Cree culture, social identity and racial violence. Lacks the universal appeal of Kipocihikan but worth a read if only for the long poem Muskrat Woman which is a masterpiece.

[Laverne Gervais · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many wonderful poems that I could read again and again. Muskrat women was one of the most powerful tellings of this story I've heard.

[MacKenzie Hamon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful! I could probably think of a better way of writing that, but seriously, I just loved this collection of poetry so much - particularly the first part on the muskrat woman. Scofield took a very serious subject in MMIW and transformed it into an astounding work that, frankly, left me almost breathless.