Sorry,
our country could not rise and beat with the warmth of the sun on our cold past.
Instead, we cowered in the darkness, afraid.
sometimes it’s safer to be with your fear,
fear nurtured into hate, that’s what we understand.
We cannot walk this land with care and love,
it must be owned, only by us.
Do you not understand that our hearts are frozen in a shame?
A shame that repeats itself over and over, like the caw of a crow at dawn,
“it’s mine, it’s mine, it’s mine.”
We do not want your welcome, it reminds us, we do not understand country,
and what it truly means, to belong.
Our lens refuses to see us, as we truly are…a scared, irrational people,
who only see love, as a trick to manipulate.
How could we allow love to heal our nation or recognise the heart of our country for over 60,000 years?
We could not say with love, we see you, we want to hear your voice, and make things better.
We are cowards, caged in our shame, caged in our cruelty,
Safe in the blindness to the creature we are.
We do not realise that our pride, so bold, is misplaced until we can walk with you, our First Nation’s People to a place in our heart that beats…reconciliation.
For Dverse Poets Meeting the Bar: A Collective Point of View
Australia just had a referendum to recognise our First Nations People in the constitution and to enshrine a voice to parliament. Unfortunately, it was a resounding NO! Signalling we have not moved on as a country from our past. Australia is the only Western country not to recognise it’s First Nations People in constitution or have a treaty with them. It would seem that misinformation and lies rule the day in our politics and people are willing to eat it up as that satisfies them more than the truth.
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Oh wow, so well written and can certainly hear the audience you are writing to and the collective group written from – so much feeling, the result is so sad 🥲. Any voter should read your poem ….
Thank you, the result was so upsetting. So much hatred coming from the negative side , and still happening. This vote really had the chance to make a positive change for First Nations People. It was a shameful day for our nation.
🥲
Di – this is the best response I can imagine to this tragic failure to do the right thing – would you mind if I re-blog it – something i have never done before but feel that this deserves it…
Thank you so much for your comment, and yes you may re-blog it. I hadn’t written much during this time as it was so emotional and when I saw Bjorn’s prompt, it fitted with how I could write something, albeit a bit late. 🙂
Thank you very much for sharing this. Somehow in the midst of so much going on in the world, I missed this news. First Nations Peoples have been mistreated all over the world. This seems a simple thing, and shameful, as you said, that it didn’t pass.
There is so much happening in the world at the moment. Unfortunately most of it causing heartache for so many. You would think it would bring us together in a common goal to make this world a peaceful place…although as John Lennon so aptly put it this makes us dreamers….the world needs a few more dreamers. It was a simple thing and makes you wonder. Thank you for commenting, 🙂
You’re very welcome. 🙂
The heartfelt collective voice of apology/struggle to reconcile and be reconciled comes through loud and clear, Di. Beautifully written. These lines were especially powerful and heartbreaking: “We do not want your welcome, it reminds us, we do not understand country,/and what it truly means, to belong./Our lens refuses to see us, as we truly are…a scared, irrational people,/who only see love, as a trick to manipulate.”
Thank you so much for your comments. It would be wonderful if we could reconcile but it seems it is still a long way off.
I was shocked hearing the result… most people just followed what they were told by their authorities to vote I think
It was a shocking result and the campaign was ruled by misinformation and fear from one side and that won out over commonsense. It was a play of politics when this was a simple question given to the people from the heart of First Nations People. A very sad outcome for our nation.
“A shame that repeats itself over and over, like the caw of a crow at dawn,
“it’s mine, it’s mine, it’s mine.”
Therein lies the problem.😔
Yes I think so too. It was a very sad day for our nation.
Just.So.Powerful.