To the Rabbits – A Letter

Listen to poet “X” read a letter that he found in an old rabbit’s burrow back when he was in Year 5.

 

 

To the Rabbits

To the Rabbits,

How can we live with you drawing the life from this wretched land?

You have taken our food and our children so forcefully, you have built machines to

destroy all that we love and you have waged countless wars against our people

and won.

Ever since the first time we saw the columns of smoke coming from

your cursed inventions, we knew that you would bring utter destruction. Ever

since we first saw the masts of your ships, we knew that you would become the

dictators. And ever since the first time we saw your guns, we knew you would

start this war that has caused the downfall of our race. Alas, this is the end

of our dynasty and the beginning of yours. All I see is a lifeless, dystopian

landscape ahead of me. What drove you to commit such treachery, and what

makes you think that replacing nature with industry is a good deed? I hope

that one day you realise that you have destroyed an entire civilisation.

Farewell.

Yours truly, The Chief of the Numbats

Translated to English from traditional Numbat language by ‘Sad Frog’ (Year 5)

This letter was written after  Sad Frog’ read The Rabbits by John Marsden and Shaun Tan. It was first previous published in TableAus, Sept-October 2018