Poems
You Still Wonder
A poem by John M Wenitong, Queensland
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I know you wonder why - them Abos get so mu$h Once we could sing and dance and fly man you're really out of touch We bin seen the white man comin all ran down to say g'day But he used his guns an know-all eye blew lots of us away We fought with spear pride an stealth to save our sacred ground You took away our health and turned our life around I know you wonder why we seem to've fallen by the way Our families were torn apart we bin seen some stinking days The life we led seemed clear to us but progress had to come You say: it's best for all mankind but proof you show us none Our Earth is sick from cleverness the oceans' a rubbish bin We did not treat the earth like this old people say this is Sin I know you wonder why we didn't like to do your dirty work Well we bin lost sweat blood and pride an you got all the perks And yet you nearly all complain that life and work is tough Let me tell ya from Your sacred book mien Herr you ain't had it rough Now our young ones follow you want to own things too Possessions many and greed abounds still can't take it with you And when you die and nourish the earth you'll be just like me Your color and pride will wither away with luck you'll feed a tree You wonder why I'm angry you wonder why I'm pissed We lived with the Spirit of the God-dammed land an you don't think she's missed So please excuse my forthrightness and please excuse my brass But you would get a little angry too if you had to take it up the ass Not once not twice but a hundred times till you think life's gone for good Then you want me to live the Hinglish way do you really think I should? Then your family's gone poisoned shot and down on the ground Writhing around in mortal pain got in the road of a new campaign Strip the land for our stock we won't let Her beat us C'mon you blacks give us a hand No no! They cried please don't do it She is all-our-mothers rolled into one We don't worry Great Spirit say life can be fun And so an thus they pulled out their guns an we all run N they run to the waters and they run to the sea N they run to the places where the other don't go N they run to the mountains an they run to the hills N sometimes they made good sport for the kill Oh once our life was easy oh twice our life was full Not like now wine on breath mouths all full of bull Well that's what you wanted wasn't it that's what we thought That's what we saw treat each other like things we'd bought Oh yeah just one thing more before I bin forget my remember You got the power you got the rules don't play up don't lose that temper Don't do this don't do that keep doin nothin till our spirit's big an fat But well and Geeeewhizzikers guys you proper still bin wearin dat supercilious wonder-why hat?
John says about his poem: "'You Still Wonder' is from my early days when I was young and angry, although the spirit remains the same today."
Thanks John for sending me this poem!