Steven Oliver speaks out about Invasion day! Hate, he said was in my heart Hate, he said tore us apart Hate, he said to let it go Hate, he said but he did not know That what I had inside of me Was a sadness born of empathy That because I did not celebrate It did not mean I was full of hate I asked him to just try and see Through my eyes the tragedy Of dispossession, of pain, of hurt Of the red of blood that stained this earth I mourn for all the lives that were lost I mourn for what this country cost I mourn for how we came to be For the end does not justify the means It’s in the past he said, move on Why mourn for something so long gone? I looked at him and came to say, Do you think we should forget about ANZAC day? It’s not the same was his retort I said wait a minute, give it some thought People died while fighting for their land Defending it from a foreign hand Make no mistake there was a war That had been fought on these very shores A war that didn’t always discriminate Where the elderly or infants could meet the same fate As those who fought to protect them so And that’s why we should never let go Never forget what price was paid For us to live as we do today He looked at me quite seriously Said he celebrates because we’re free He celebrates our democracy And everything great in this country I said, that’s fine, I get that, it’s clear Just please don’t forget how we got here Just take a moment to think it through What price was paid for me and you To live in this country as we do Don’t take for granted the sacrifice Both of land and of life We need to remember those who died Not let their legacy be swept aside You got an apology, he said It talked about loss and mentioned the dead What more do you want? He asked of me, And so I replied in the hope he would see We have a day for Australia, the Queen For New Years and Christmas and all those between Like Labour and Easter, the ANZAC Parade And just what the hell is Boxing Day? There’s even a day that we have for the Shows But nothing that speaks of my people’s woes A national day to acknowledge the cause To acknowledge all that has happened before And I don’t mean NAIDOC I mean something more Where the whole nation stops, like it does for a horse! A day, is that too much to ask? To remind us, don’t ignore the past He processed my words and looked at the ground We both sat in silence, then there was a sound A sound that seemed like heaven to me A sound of two words that said, I agree! We talked some more as the day came to end And despite our differences I’d made a new friend He understood as the day came to night That I needed some things in this country made right And because I did not celebrate It did not mean I was full of hate. - Steven Oliver
Posted on: Fri, 23 Jan 2015 04:02:20 +0000
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