Sea Eagles

This poem has been a work in progress for over a year now. I reshape it every time I perform it at slams. I'd really appreciate whatever feedback you can give.

No-one ever told us about the Sea Eagles.
We don’t talk about it. We’re not sure if we’re not supposed to.

Of course there are those that remember
But Lady Wisdom told them
Not to tell us
Because those are the wrong stories.

So as our rivers still into reservoirs
As our ancestors are paved over with tarmac
And as the homes we grew up in get sold at a substantial profit
Some. Stories. Die.
But Lady Wisdom lied to us -
There are no wrong stories.

The truths of our grandparents
Went the route of their childhoods
Words and Sepak Takraw balls becoming quality controlled
Inspected for safety
Then given to us once a year

Artifacts that present a past
To a future and lament briefly
The loss of our heritage.
But then you ask them questions
Like “What happened to the Sea Eagles?”
And we have to move on to the next activity.

“Look how hard it was back then”
“You young people have it so lucky now”
“Be grateful to your elders and betters”
“Strawberry Generation”
“Tsk”

The LP of their stories is broken
Stopping short at the bit where they go
“Work used to start at nine years old
Not nine o’ clock
And there were rats and brothels and socialists
It was so dangerous-rous-rous-rous”

When will we admit
That now Daddy is an ATM
And Mommy is a microwave
That Grandma is a discount daycare
And that the once beating heart of this nation
Was sliced out and replaced with a stuttering pacemaker?

When will they admit the truth
About what they did to the Sea Eagles?

We’ve built a house we are told to be proud of
But don’t look in the attic or under the sofa
Or in the closet or behind the door
Just fly that flag high and repeat after me
“This is home, truly”

Breadcrumbs for ducklings
And catnip for kittens,
Tradition for daughters
And duty for sons -
The truths of our stories
Were cheap.

We were wrong
We are still wrong
And we likely will be wrong for a while more.

But we can start trying to fix this.
First off: We need to talk about the Sea Eagles

Author's Note

Be ruthless. But please, any specific feedback is super appreciated.

Reviews

[Nightfeather]

This poem is awesome. This poem bears a powerful message, for one can really feel the emotions underneath each word. Are you referring to humanity as a whole or to your nation? For this poem talks about the visual and emotional downgrade of humanity, because we are walking endlessly in the loop of ignorance but there is still some hope that we can escape from this loop. So we can transcend from our current situation (as humanity as a whole), fixing many problems that have kept us growing ( as in spirit). I really like this poem but I recommend to give us a description that describes the core of your poem and or a summary (described in one or two sentences). So the reader can have a general feeling of what your poems will be about and if it interests them. For many are walking away from reading a poem, simply because the description was vague or the description was missing but your poem shows that you have great talent. So you should never stop writing, for your writing is very good.

Good job :D

Good job :D