We said you taught them nothing,
That they were unfed as well,
That they looked untidy,
And we sniffed at the smell.

So we took them and we held them,
And taught them of our way,
But their colour just stayed black,
So we beat them in dismay.

We washed away your history,
We destroyed their self esteem,
And then we washed our hands of guilt,
As though it were a dream.

We closed our eyes to the horror,
Of families torn apart,
We closed our ears to the crying,
Of the shattered, broken hearts.

But why should I say we're sorry,
For someone else's crime?
What value has an apology,
For mistakes from another time?

We obliterated your culture,
Your land rights we denied,
But when we stole your children,
Something in us died.

I am so very sorry,
For the web of lies that were spun,
For the cruelty that continues,
For the evil that's been done.

I am so very sorry,
That not once did it occur,
To think of all my brothers,
And wonder where they were.

And I am so very sorry,
That so many turn away,
And we're still in denial,
On this Australia Day.

Thank you Chris for submitting your poem! Chris is a non-Aboriginal writer.