“Giver
By Tawhida Tanya Evanson

Giver

Be loud or I will not survive you
This holding on too tightly is your pulsing palm in mine

Don't let go, don't abandon us when the flames char skin
You asked us to hold your hand, regardless of what remains

But when we look closely
There is nothing there in the ash, nothing but God

Forgive everything we say and do
Even as you move further away you are nearer than our jugular

As a giver I should give you up
But I want your wanting, I want your wanting


Poems in Passage

Moved by this poem? Click here

Thank you to our valued partners
TTC • Aga Khan Museum • Pattison

Design and layout by Marissa Korda & Marta Ryczko

Picture of the Giver poem taken on the Toronto subway in March, 2026.