iv
i heard it once
that there were those who sought their lives
with the memories of lives lost
at the cost of lost lives
i’ve heard it many times
that grandfathers and children were lost
beneath the muddy earth trod murderer’s march
saying: for the land my father bled upon the land
i hear it all the time
mother’s mothers smothered ‘neath a grief thick blanket
where the young men took young women
on the land where their children beneath the beating sun now dance
i never stop hearing
about the way we knew it was
and how we’ll make it better
in being better than before
and how it’s not the way it used to be
if only, how much better it would be
the voices keep saying
we’ll make sure
we’ll make sure
i heard it once
we’ll erase what came before
we know what’s right, we’ll give what’s for
we will even out the score
i’ve heard it said and said before
we’ll hear it said and said once more
we’ll hear it said and said once more
we’ll hear it said
we’ll hear it said and said for sure
but once is all it takes