When We Are Poor. Poem by Nkosilathi Zinyane

When winds blow and children scream
When our pots are empty and our teeth clean
When our trousers are ragged and our women are naked
When we use papers to warm our chimney's
And seat on bricks instead of couches
Know then that we are poor

We don't see our predicaments unfold
Neither do we know from whence the enemy creeps.
We seek amongst each other the greatest of faults
Oblivious that within us the enemy sleeps
We tear and shatter the spirits of kith and kin
This is all because we are poor.

Can we ever truly be happy
When happiness is a word we know from associations with the elites
When our brothers and sisters look up to Judas Iscariot as their role model

To be continued….