Lament Poem by Nim Lee

Our young men, our strong young men, our sons, our brothers,
They have changed,
They do not know us now.
They look at us, but they do not see us, they only see opportunity.
Their eyes are indifferent,
Their hearts have turned to stone
They go off with new friends
They laugh, they drink, they sing, they dance.
They have turned their back on us, on our land.
They travel about, rootless
Their big boots stamp on the earth
They don’t look to see where they tread,
What might be crushed under their foot.
They are gone far and cannot hear us.

Our young men, our strong young men, our sons, our brothers:
They should be our comfort,
But they have broken our hearts, they have left us alone, weeping,
And they have not looked back.

Our young men, our strong young men, our sons, our brothers
They should be our support,
They should be a rock, but they have turned to sand
They have let us down and drifted away on a strange wind.

Our young men, our strong young men, our sons, our brothers,
They should be our protection,
They should be lions but they have become jackals
They snatch at anything they find, they have forgotten how to share.
If they cannot remember us, their mothers and sisters,
Why should they care for anyone?

Our young men, our strong young men, our sons, our brothers
What will become of us without you?
Our young men, our strong young men, our sons, our brothers
What can become of you without us?