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--
January 15th, 2026
by Jayli Wolf
under a Nehiyaw tongue
Kohkum carries charcoal in her breath
fire breathing stories
our family
warriors
battles on horseback
an uprising remembered
I wish I was strong like her
I'd need only half the vigor
a taste of the vim
Kohkum studies me
she knows I ask tarot
to tell me which way to turn
that I light screens
instead of kindling
that I am lost inside the city
neon lights and high-rises
that my cupboards are jammed with plastic
no sweet jars sealed by summer sun
arms filled with man-made things
still, when Kokhum tells her stories
I stumble forward
feel the warmth of her song
in my blood
and I know she loves me
just the same
Note: Kokhum – grandmother
Note on Community Membership
Jayli Wolf: I belong to Saulteau First Nations Community, Treaty 8 Territory.
I am part of the Desjarlais Clan – I am both Nehiyaw and Anishinaabe.
About the Poet
Jayli Wolf resides in Creston, British Columbia, Canada.
Read the poet's biography and Wax Poetry and Art publications
on Jayli Wolf's Artist Page.
This poem is collected in Poetry World #14, published in the Wax Poetry and Art Library.
Keywords: kohkum, stories, Nehiyaw, modern indegeneity, family
Previously published in First Nations Poetry Magazine:
To the Land That Tasted My Ancestors' Blood
by Shania S. Lucyao
First Nations Poetry Magazine is part of the Wax Poetry and Art Network.
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