Poems
Let’s Face The Truth
A poem by Abi DRabi, Sydney, NSW.
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Hey there Aussies let’s be real As we haven’t been the truest deal Let’s acknowledge all our faults Our abuses and our assaults The way we’ve treated Aboriginal Australians We’ve killed and tortured and we have maimed them The guilt is heavy and we’ve carried it for years Sometimes in secret we’ve cried some tears But how do we face what we have done Against boomerangs and spears we used big guns They had no chance to face our onslaught And with beer and drugs the rest we bought We controlled their kids and called them ours We took them shopping the world to browse We showed them things that they never knew Corrupted their minds with things untrue The rapes and genocide were not a lie And because we deny it, we all still cry.
Written by non-Aboriginal poet Abi DRabi. Thank you for sending me your poem!
Homework: Reflect on this poem
- Compare the content of this poem to former Prime Minister Paul Keating's Redfern Speech. What are the similarities? What has changed since then, what hasn't?
- Explore the sense of guilt that speaks from the poem. Do you think that most Australians share this guilt?
- What could be done so Australians don't have to "cry" anymore? Think of a neighbourhood, community and national level.