Chaamindri, Grade 6
Winnipeg, Manitoba

Changing My Life

I share a room with my brother
but I should have my own
He always makes a mess

But I changed my mind when i knew…
you slept on the road side benches
shivering in the cold
sometimes wet in the rain.

I want a new shirt, in a store
I cry and cry for that one
I like it because it's purple

But I changed my mind when I knew…
you were wearing grubby, torn clothes
too big for you
given to you by some stranger

"I want pizza today"
I scolded my mom
"With lots of cheese and pepperoni"

But I changed my mind when I knew…
you were begging for food
you had stale bread and water

"I want to play soccer"
"Playing tag is boring"
I was fighting with my friends

But I changed my mind when I knew…
you didn't have a ball, a net
or even a playground to play on

I share a room with my little brother that I love
I'm grateful for what I have
I never grumble
I eat what my mother made with love
I wear what I have

Thank you for changing my life
Maybe I will try to change yours

Abby, Grade 6
Whitby, Ontario

HOME

A home is only a house until you make memories. When you put the star on the top of the Christmas tree, baking cookies, building a fort from blankets with your brother, and blowing out birthday candles. These are all memories I have at my home. Home isn't just inside it's outside where you can trust your community. My community is unique. We have about 20 kids that play outside every day after school and every weekend too. From morning, until the street lights go on at night. Every year we have a huge street party with food, swimming, trampoline, movies and lots more. Everyone in our neighbourhood is a different age, gender and looks different. None of us judge each other and we all play together. We are all friends. Some people I know don't even know who their neighbours are. That's so strange to me. My Dad bought a ticket to win a million dollar mansion far from my home. If we won I would love the mansion, but I would want it to be right where my house is now. Home to me is my bed. It's like having a dream in Candy land. Chocolate rivers, bottomless pits of candy and gummies growing on trees. That makes me happy. Whenever I go to sleep, I always know I'm home. I close my eyes and hear all the dogs barking in yards behind me. The train crossing tracks just down the street. I know who is coming up the stairs just by hearing their footsteps. Mom moves fast and Dad is slow like a turtle. Living in my home is awesome. It's like having a best friend. You make memories with that friend, you can trust them, and they make you happy like chocolate!

Andrew, Grade 5
Kanesatake, Quebec

My Composition: What home means to me.

I can't sleep, my brother is coughing so much. It's cold and damp in the room. I listen to the wind as it whistles through the cracks in our walls. Suddenly, a drop of water falls down my neck, then another. All of us are sleeping in this room and it's too crowded to move, so I curl up in a ball and try to sleep.

It's morning and time for school. I can't find my homework and I'm hungry and too tired to pay attention. I start crying and suddenly, I head a noise that keeps getting louder and louder. It's my voice, I am screaming for help! Someone shakes me, I am afraid, I can't run, my legs are like cement. Suddenly I open my eyes. My Mom and Dad are both there hugging and kissing me. They tell me I just had a bad dream.

I look around and see my room with my toys and clothes. My brother is still asleep in the bottom bunk. My parents love me and I'm happy. I feel safe in my home. It's warm and dry and we are all healthy but I'm still sad because even though I have a nice place to live, I know many people don't, especially Native People. Many live in the streets or in run-down trailers or houses. My wish is that every family has a good place to live. You can't be happy when you live in a dump.

Many people have no home,
It's so sad to be alone,
No proper food, no place to sleep,
People get sick and die out in the street.

Every human being,
Women, child or man
Deserves a place to lay their head,
And feel safe in their homeland

My Composition: What home means to me. (In Mohawk)

Annelies, Grade 5
Courtenay, British Columbia

Love in my Home

Home is like a flood of feelings;
It rushes out like the wind,

Blowing peace towards me.

Home is a quiet and peaceful space,
Like sitting by a fountain
In a lovely garden.

Home is cozy, warm and sleepy.
I feel content snuggled in my cocoon at night.

Home is a place where you get new ideas,
Where joy, fun and love really matter.

Home challenges ourselves,
I have boundaries, rules, and responsibilities
That teach me what I need to know

Home feels like being split apart.
When Time pulls you away,
Outside commitments rush you out the door.
It feels crazy to leave my solitude.

Home is a place to welcome others,
I can share my music,
I can dance gracefully; alone or together.

Home makes me feel connected;
Like one long note,
Singing in unison.

Friends & Family,

Is that what makes a Home feel comforting?
Or is it much more?

Home gives me Hope.
Candlelight dinners give me a sense of fullness
I feel safe.

Denver, Grade 5
Oakville, Ontario

What is Home?

A dog barking,
A splash of kids in the pool,
The ding of fresh food ready in the oven,
These are the sounds of…

Home!

The smell of smoke of a warm fire,
And smell of thanksgiving dinner on the table,
And the smell of mud from your dog.
These are the smells of…

Home!

Playing football in the backyard after dinner,
And playing hockey at eight o'clock in the morning,
Or jumping into the pool at midnight.
These are memories that you have at…

Home!

Feeling secure and not having to worry,
and joyful and happy and a smile that is so big it goes around the world.
These are the feelings of…

Home!

Sammi, Grade 5
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia

Home

Let me say it from my heart,
houses are special right from the start

We take them for granted as you may see,
but they are special like you and me

A house is a place to cry and weep,
a place to always play and sleep

A home to have a lot of fun,

for every single loved one

It is a place to be safe and free,
a comfortable place that is for you and me!

A home that is big, a home that is small,

a home that shall fit us all

A home to make you warm when cold,

a place to make you strong and bold

To rest in a comfy bed,

with a shelter over your head

I love my house forevermore,
I love my house from door to door!