I Am an Inuk Woman I am an Inuk woman my markings say it so don't look at me and ask "taa Inuuviit?" because I too come from the land of snow and ice my heart belongs to the place where the sea kuniks the land an Arctic islander on ancient tundra these histories etched into my roots these lines filled with familiarity this identity traced along skin fighting flames and shining stars from heart to hand ink to being chapters readily unfold these lines are my markings the story of my journey meant to be told I walked these lands and know my way home I washed my sorrows in the river and dried my body in the breeze I wished for the bitterness of assimilation to stop being so damn easy I am an Inuk woman working hard to practise, protect, and preserve the raw beauty of us as my histories must pass through me in seeds these lines will welcome the next generation of Inuit my markings are meant to help me grow skin and soul Arctic Adoration can you imagine just barely escaping a snowstorm enough to witness it in all its glory at your tail's end swallowing whole your home like a sneaky fox and clueless lemming swiftly, naturally, unapologetically suffocating and cleansing all in the same to feel that fierce wind forcing you into the self-realization of resilience eyes squinting as a million tiny snowflakes dance so elegantly before you lungs erupting with crisp clean air, heart outpouring the essence of the land from the most quenching breath, you feel our ancestors flowing through your veins leaving only clarity and vitality as they journey through you Dance With Me will you dance with me like the wind and snow do during a brazen blizzard? mending together body and soul in a whimsical whirl I am drawn to you like a malikkaat flower follows the warm sun you are the warm sun and cool breeze on the most dreamlike of Greenlandic sunny summer days the wonderland where I found you in all its radiance you are nature at its finest, embracing changing seasons and breathing colour to life like the Torngat Mountains' heartfelt tundra during Labrador's most lively fall you are the strongest river siku with the purest essence flowing underneath those icy blue eyes I could happily drink you up for years to come as long as you'll share your ambrosian love with me.