I have been to the reef,
I saw the fish,
I have been to the bridge,
I saw the manta ray
flying, I have been in the field,
and seen the people dying,
I’ve seen the clever
outsmart the hurting,
and politicians reverting
to unspecified claims,
hurling blames,
I’ve seen miners emerge,
their faces black,
the looks on their faces,
slack, witnessed the surge
of the incoming wave,
held a brave man, beaten,
overcome with surrender,
I remember it all, and yet,
I hold out to you a promise
I cannot keep, but keep
on hoping, that somehow
someday, all this will cease
and there will be a pause,
the promise of peace.