Year of the Aboriginal

Inspired by popular words and phrases from “Redfern Address” Paul Keating (1992)
the year of the

            indigenous
we cannot imagine that

            they

have shaped

our nation
year of the

            aboriginal 
the year we imagine

we non aboriginal

how much

we took
imagine

we non aboriginal

            imagine

imagine

i say it because

how well we cannot

            imagine 
we non aboriginal

            we failed
fifty thousand years

in history books 
we cannot imagine

we are beginning

            are beginning 
year of the

            aboriginal 
we are beginning

we non aboriginal

to recognise how much

                            we took


 
We homes where hearts go to rest

Inspired by popular words and phrases from “The Forgotten People” Robert Menzies (1942)
you who do not believe in class

you who do not believe class is to be

as if at the end we speak of frugality

as if the middle eat and drink

are equal
give the workers the scale

the answer we are human

and homes this class this margin

in a false war 
you eat and drink and be drink

and be and come out to discourage those

who believe the truth

that power and material

exclude 
i do not believe that homes

material homes human homes spiritual

eat drink and be merry at the end

as if we have the time

as if it weren’t the end

as if it were



It’s time

Inspired by popular words and phrases from “It’s Time” Gough Whitlam (1972)
my fellows we will—

do you believe we will?

I put these questions to you, are you

prepared? crisis after crisis, week after

week, will we—will you

accept another two hundred

and forty years of this? will we—will you

again entrust the nation’s economy

to men? we have a new chance

for our nation, we can recreate

a nation.
australia cannot stand still

at such a time, australia

cannot stand time. we are determined

that country shall be restored to its rightful place

as participant, partner, owner. we will

put the land back into the business of running

australia. we will establish a new australia.

my fellows, we will—it’s time,

we will.