I sing the sorrows of the world
in my imperfect tongue
that has renounced artistry
so I can proclaim
the troubles of our time
without artifice.
Every age endured
man’s bestiality,
but the anguish of our time
is disenheartening.
We have written words of wisdom
asserting the rights of man,
celebrated by the noose,
electric chair, gas chamber,
lethal injection,
civilized executions,
complemented by total war.
Now terror possesses us,
fueled by its cousin
capitalist greed,
nurturing the blossoms
of toxic poverty
infecting all,
except the privileged,
with diminished hope.
