Hey, I'm not a lumberjack, or a fur trader....
I don't live in an igloo or eat blubber, or own a dogsled.... and I don't know Jimmy, Sally or Suzy from Canada, although I'm certain they're really really nice. I have a Prime Minister, not a president. I speak English and French, not American. And I pronounce it 'about', not 'a boot'. I can proudly sew my country's flag on my backpack. I believe in peace keeping, not policing, diversity, not assimilation, and that the beaver is a truly proud and noble animal. A toque is a hat, a chesterfield is a couch, and it is pronounced 'zed' not 'zee', 'zed' !!!! Canada is the second largest landmass! The first nation of hockey! and the best part of North America My name is Joe!! And I am Canadian!!!   
"We Are More" by Shane Koyzman
Poem lyrics
When defining Canada
you might list some statistics you might mention our tallest building or biggest lake you might shake a tree in the fall and call a red leaf Canada you might rattle off some celebrities might mention that we’ve got a few barenaked ladies or that we made these crazy things like zippers electric cars and washing machines
When defining Canada
it seems the world’s anthem has been been there done that and maybe that’s where we used to be it’s true we’ve done and we’ve been we’ve seen all the great themes get swallowed up by the machine and turned into theme parks but when defining Canada don’t forget to mention that we have set sparks
We are not just fishing stories
about the one that got away we do more than sit around and say, eh? and yes we are the home of the Rocket and the Great One inspirers of little number nines and little number ninety-nines but we’re more than hockey and fishing lines off the rocky coast of the Maritimes some say what defines us is something as simple as please and thank you and as for you’re welcome well we say that too
But we are more
than genteel or civilized we are an idea in the process of being realized we are young we are cultures strung together then woven into a tapestry and the design is what makes us more than the sum total of our history
We are an experiment going right for a change
with influences that range from a to zed (yes we say zed instead of zee) we are the colours of Chinatown and the coffee of Little Italy we dream so big that there are those who would call our ambition an industry larger than sticky maple syrup and clean snow bigger than wheat and beer we are vineyards of good year after good year we reforest what we clear because we believe in generations beyond our own knowing now that so many of us have grown past what used to be
We can stand here today
filled with all the hope people have when they say things like, someday someday, we’ll be great someday, we’ll be this or that someday, we’ll be at a point when someday was yesterday and all of our aspirations will pave the way for those who, on that day, look towards tomorrow and still say, someday
We will reach the goals we set
and we will get interest on our inspiration because we are more than a nation of whale watchers and lumberjacks more than backpacks and hiking trails we are hammers and nails building bridges towards those who are willing to walk across we are the lost and found for all those who might find themselves at a loss we are not the see-through gloss or glamour of those who clamour for the failings of others
We are fathers, brothers, sisters and mothers,
uncles, nephews, aunts and nieces we are cousins we are found missing puzzle pieces we are families with room at the table for newcomers we are more than summers and winters more than on and off seasons we are the reasons people have for wanting to stay because we are more than what we say or do we live to get past what we go through and learn who we are we are students students who study the studiousness of studying so we know what as well as why
We don’t have all the answers,
but we try and the effort is what makes us more we don’t all know what it is in life we’re looking for so keep exploring go far and wide or go inside, but go deep go deep as if James Cameron was filming a sequel to "The Abyss" and suddenly there was this location scout trying to figure out some way to get inside you
Keep exploring
because we are more than a laundry list of things to do and places to see we are more than hills to ski or countryside ponds to skate we are the abandoned hesitation of all those who can’t wait we are first-rate greasy spoon diners and healthy living cafés a country that is all the ways you choose to live a land that can give you variety because we are choices
We are millions upon millions of voices shouting
"keep exploring" we are the surprise the world has in store for you it’s true Canada is the "what" in "what’s new?" so don’t say, been there done that unless you’ve sat on the sidewalk while chalk artists draw still-lifes on the concrete of a kid in the street beat boxing to Neil Young for fun don’t say you’ve been there, done that unless you’ve been here doing it let this country be your first-aid kit for all the times you get sick of the same old, same old let us be the story told to your friends
And when that story ends
leave chapters for the next time you’ll come back next time pack for all the things you didn’t pack for the first time but don’t let your luggage define your travels each life unravels differently and experiences are what make up the colours of our tapestry we are the True North strong and free and what’s more is that we didn’t just say it, we made it be. |
