Stolen Futures
Blessed are you for whom this law was made.
It will show you right from wrong
and will teach you good discipline
and, from time to time, imprison you
for
you remind us much too much of war and the memory of war
and the logic of plunder,
stolen futures, forced removals, violated land.
(And you too who are not, but who remind us of,
the First Ones; you
with the sound of your scored and scoured stories.)
We passed this law in the night time
of your mourning.
We listened
but you said nothing.
We watched
but you did nothing for yourselves.
Today we are crying but today and tomorrow, we are ready
to take back the future you stole from us.
But not with all the love in our bodies and our skies will we
ever be able to take away the shame from you.
That is yours to keep,
you who made this law
and who screamed without dignity
every time we tried to tell our stories to you
and who tore out your eyes when we tried to show you
what we are determined to create,
strong in the plot and the singing of our People.
We will take our future.
Be assured of that.
And you
will keep your shame.
Dr John Falzon is an advocate with a deep interest in philosophy, society, politics and poetry. He is the St Vincent de Paul Society National Council Chief Executive and a member of the Australian Social Inclusion Board.