The author of this article revisits Simon Ortiz's poem, "From Sand Creek," in which the latter can in so few words convey both the horrific tragedy of conquest and colonization, while at the same time find a space for possibility, a means for recovery that is never about forgetting but always occurs as a kind of recuperative remembering. Ortiz speaks of "bad things" which are so pervasive in the past, detrimental ideologies that persist today, pain that lingers, yet with a remarkably powerful sense of courage and optimism. The author opines that people must immerse themselves in the simple beauty of Ortiz's words, remembering what they often forget, acknowledging, as Ortiz tells, that "repression works like a shadow," choosing not to overlook what is destroyed and beaten down amidst those mentalities that operate under dichotomies that desecrate difference, learning not only from people's own past genocides and massacres, but also recognizing the arduous yet fruitful process, circumscribed to a site, geographic or otherwise, that is regeneration. (Contains 2 notes.)