A Changeable Ocean

I am a new arrival to this ancient place,
my feet now rooted in Burramatagal soil.
There is so much to love about this country,
from its people to the breadth of its wilderness,
But the yoke of a colonial past still betrays us.
or celebrating our diversity, solidarity, and resilience.

We do not lack the moral imagination
to forge a vision of "Australia" anew,
to acknowledge and address injustice,
to place Indigenous people and their heritage
at the very core of this nation's character,
not the fringes they are relegated to.

We have all to gain through this reconception,
it does not preclude us honoring countless others,
be it our workers or soldiers, artists or scientists,
or celebrating our diversity, solidarity, and resilience.

A national day, on the day of invasion,
betrays our collective potential.
For the character of a nation is no stagnant pond,
confined to the waters of a particular past,
it is a changeable ocean
whose tides we decide.