The poor man's son

He did not choose to be
His parent’s fate made him to be
He is the heir to his father’s misfortunes
That is how the world judges him
His potential is limited to his father’s
That is what the world expects of him

He and poverty are inseparable
That is how the word views him
Buttered bread is his dream food
Attending a decent school is his wish
though he knows it is far away
That is what the world imposes to him

Look at his bare feet crushing the frost
as he climbs the mountain to his supposed nearest school
Only insane person would call that a school before seeing
those little unfortunate ones emerging from it
Hungry as he is, he is determined to learn
That is what the world offers him

Look at his eyes; they are appealing for justice
To free him from the tight grip of the claws of misery
cast upon by merciless history makers
He finds it difficult to detach from his past
because he cannot connect to the future
That is what the world gives him.

By: Lizwi Damoyi
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