We come from the land that gives us life.
We remember the time when the virgin earth brought forth
fruits in great abundance — a natural paradise — before greed
ripped our land and lives apart
Now mining scars the face of the planet,
leaves deep craters where once wild rivers ran
Our freedom curtailed, many search for paradise lost,
chasing butterflies of illusion in a cloud of confusion.
Heed the warning of our cousins the Cree:
Only when the last tree has died,
the last river poisoned and the last fish been caught,
will you realise that you cannot eat money
We all share this planet.
Let us dedicate ourselves to saving
the land that gives us life; resist the corporate-military
juggernaut that kills and destroys Indigenous Peoples
who stand in its way
Let us stand strong together, to
preserve the earth our mother,
so she can feed her children and
the future generations to come.
No child should go hungry
while others live in luxury.
THE PEOPLE UNITED WILL NEVER BE DEFEATED
[Waratah Rosemarie Gillespie (1941-2010) was a lifelong activist for peace, the environment, international solidarity and Indigenous rights. She wrote this poem shortly before her death on June 21.]