Land Acknowledgement

By Otissus

A name created 

from imagination’s 

Figment is Otissus 

From the Northwest 

Up a hill from the 

lake’s isthmus

Of the Duwamish Tribe’s 

would otherwise be known as 

Kingdom

Who expresses regress 

from those foreign 

Who trespassed & 

caused pandemonium

Your environment was sacred 

but was taken over 

without moratorium

Solidarity extends towards your

Full recognition & 

Honor for your whole existence

Your tutelage is pertinent 

towards a peaceful resolution

Your tribal village lived the greenest 

Sustainable solutions 

Broad shouldered 

Brimming steady 

Is your river 

Open-air, ever flowing tunnel

On a stretch of flatness 

South of Alki’s funnel, however, 

Its surroundings make it 

Easy to get swallowed. 

A stellar investment so 

Attractive it got repo’d 

If you were to see the 

Duwamish River Today

It was probably

while in transit 

From hundreds of feet away

It has gone from 

a place to gather 

To only for those hired 

A color transparent to 

opaque as its now the place to

Move and park the cargo, or 

store our piles of spit-pouring garb-o 

Instead of glorifying

we’ve made it hidden 

Bordered by four lanes on each side & 

Even swallows oil runoff in 

Exchange for the rides

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Otissus debuts with a poem from her collection titled, “Roots Above Ground,” Conversation Starters, Silent Alerting, and Abbreviated Memoirs for the Meekly Tongued.

When not fiddling with words, she’s immersed in domestic duties, familial cohesion, and finding their bits of joy. 

As an elementary school teacher turned stay-at-home mom, she started writing poetry as an outlet to more eloquently present her self and ideals. A northeast Seattle native, currently residing in the city’s west with her husband, three children, and eight plants.