I am Canadian

I am Canadian
you ask me to explain
i reply
what's in a name

I am an Indian of long ago
I am an Inuit living in snow
I am a sailor who landed here
I am their courage and their fear

I am a Metis fighting for my land
I am a Quebecois but no one understands
I am an immigrant with so much to do
I am the division between old and new

I am the Rockies, the Yukon and the prairie fields
I am the mines, the coasts and the Canadian shield
I am the forests, valleys and the crests
I am mother nature at her best

I am spring showers
I am May flowers
I am autumn leaves
I am winter's breeze

I am the old city hall don't tear me down
I am a fishing village, a northern town
I am a busy city and parliament on the hill
I am all this and more of it still

I am Lucy Maude Montgomery's home on the isle
I am a ferry boat, my captain wears a smile
I am the MacDonald Cartier freeway
I am the past to this day

I am an European sports car to an Italian place to dine
I am the Swedish pastry, the French wine
I am Irish whiskey with Chinese tea
I am united from sea to sea

I am Canadian, you ask me to explain
I reply, what's in a name

(c)2017 Catherine Elder