To A Change In Life
By Lucy, Stage 5
Art Write Light 2021 is a creative writing project curated by Story Factory, in collaboration with visual artist Blak Douglas. During the program, students from Bonnyrigg High School and St Clair High School were introduced to the work of Blak Douglas, and created written and audio pieces responding to his artwork. The audio you’re about to listen to features a young writer from the program reading an extract from their work.
LISTEN TO THE AUDIO OF THE STORY
To A Change In Life
Everyday was a replay of yesterday, chanting, hopping, swaying grass and winds wooshing. So sick of living this repetitive life. Until suddenly my life changed…
Monologue
Waking up is hard. Emotions and the way we feel can’t be controlled. Seeing other people be happy when you’re feeling so destroyed. People throwing tantrums and saying that they’re not okay. I see all this bull**** through the window every single day. They walk around with their expensive clothes and branded shoes, flashing it as if I give a f***, some privileged men have a badge and call themselves “the law”. If they’re the law then I hate this degraded system.
The different cultures walk past my window. They all seem so different and yet they’re all still the same. They judge my people and call us druggos or junkies. They degrade my people and curse our land with their sinful buildings and technologies of which some they forced my people to make as slaves. It’s all so PATHETIC. It’s pathetic that the white people came here on their boats, stole our land, stole our children and gave a half-ass apology.
It’s funny though… because although that white politician apologised, my people and others believed it. We believed in the thought that a whole society could change. Neglected and manipulated, torn and lashed. The cruel words and things they do hurt my pride. It strips me from my confidence, my courage and my right to feeling amazing. It strips the young native souls from feeling like they too deserve to be loved and cherished by all.
They have an anthem of which we were supposed to chant with pride but how can I chant if you’ve silenced me. You barbaric fools parade around on the 26th day of the first month every year while I sit at home with my family and mourn for my people, for this day was the day we were invaded. The pride I have for my land and people is so strong, so strong that your whips, chains and yells never broke it… because you and your people are weak.
You talked down to me as if I need your stupid validation. But I don’t and that’s why you’re sad. You’re upset that me and my people know that we’re superior. You’re upset and angered because you’re the irrelevant race here. You’re upset because we’ve grown strong and are ready for a war of rage of which you know we’ll win.
Our history is important and helped us build character, potential and courage as a nation. We fought it all, the whips endured, all the lashes and we are still standing tall, strong and proud together.
Much is Rife, Blak Douglas, 2021
Art Write Light is generously supported by the Balnaves Foundation.
