I look
…I see loot
…I see greed
…I see graft
From men whose looks look saintly
But whose tusks amass shamelessly
Who track to stash secretly
I peep
…I discover heaps of ills
…I uncover piles of wiles
…I recover flying files
Of things they hide to hide their deeds
Of misdeeds
I sleep
…not a wink
…not a dream
…not a rest
But to weep over the repugnant pilfering
Over the constant grabbing
From a diminishing national kitty
I try
…not to cry
…not to faint from pain
…not to resign to fate
But to cruise on the ship
Of citizenship
But to stow away from the boat
Of spectatorship
I groan
…and I moan
…in the bone
…inside the marrow
At the sight of the massive, passive class
Passing by without missing a heartbeat
Missing the occasion of dishing out massive missives of missiles
I weep
…for generations under construction
…for offspring loitering in the loins
…for progeny yet to join the journey
For the present has mortgaged
The future to the lowest paying bidder
I sigh
…in grief
…in pain
…in despair
For it’s one step forward
But a thousand backward
…into a failing state
I wait for the day
…of relief
…of gain
…of repair
I wait
…with bated breath
The day when the thorns in our flesh
Will take a deserving rest
For the world deserves to refresh
…to re-dress
For the day graft cruises to a halt
That day
That day development breathes a breath of liberation
