our mother’s pain

Elizabeth Jarrett, Gumbaynggirr Dunghutti Bundjalung poet and activist

Welcome to the land down under, Where all are welcome to rape and plunder.. The Australian flag that flies so high, Is one that represents terrorism and lies!! The national anthem states “we are young and free” But not if you are born a First Nation like me…

Mining is rape against our mothers will, Turning her into Mars with craters of land fill.. Drilling, digging and fracking with force, All for the supreme and privileged and their resource. Our custodians denied their sovereign right to voice, To protest now leaves fines and jail as our choice.. Rise up First Nations no more silence, The time has come to end the offshore and colonial violence..

Our land sold from right under our feet, To a corporate thief that can’t fill their greed. Our waters poisoned never again to flourish, Our communities destroyed n people being punished, Why is it they can’t understand She is our mother not just a piece of land. Their dollar beholds their ultimate power, But where will be it’s worth in our mothers final hour….

This poem was originally published in Honi Soit, January 2020