Aarya Phansalkar
Blaxcell Street Public School
2016, Primary School, Writing
My poem, The Stolen, relates to reconciliation as it is about the life of Aboriginal people during the period of the Stolen Generations. It refers to the horrid times of torture and thievery, explaining the emotions of Aboriginal people as they experienced many horrible times. My poem relates back to the theme ‘Always Was, Always Will Be’ as it describes years when Aboriginal children were taken unjustly from their birth parents. They always were and always will be a part of their Aboriginal families, culture, heritage and land.
When I was writing this poem, I attempted to imagine myself in the shoes of an Aboriginal person watching her people being stolen and taken to British camps to learn their foreign culture. I tried to think about how it would feel if I were taken away from my family and this influenced my writing as I added melancholy words and phrases. This poem has greatly impacted my thinking about the Stolen Generations and Aboriginal people in general.