Poverty Poems
Scribbles On The Poverty Line
by Ibtisam Barakat
When I was a girl in a poor family
we hung our clothes to dry on the povertyline,
and with it I jumped rope.
My friends saw and joined me.
We were hoping to learn to jump over
endless obstacles and walls...
Our poverty line was generous and plentiful,
it ran from house to house like telephone wiring
made of rich gossip.
......
A Man's A Man For A' That
by Robert Burns
Is there for honesty poverty
That hings his head, an' a' that;
The coward slave - we pass him by,
We dare be poor for a' that!
For a' that, an' a' that,
Our toils obscure an' a' that,
The rank is but the guinea's stamp,
The man's the gowd for a' that.
What though on hamely fare we dine,
......
My Brothers
by Robert William Service
While I make rhymes my brother John
Makes shiny shoes which dames try on,
And finding to their fit and stance
They buy and wear with elegance;
But mine is quite another tale,--
For song there is no sale.
My brother Tom a tailor shop
Is owner of, and ladies stop
To try the models he has planned,
......
Ode On A Distant Prospect Of Eton College
by Thomas Gray
Ye distant spires, ye antique towers,
That crown the watry glade,
Where grateful ScienceÊ still adores
Her Henry'sÊ holy shade;
And yeÊ that from the stately brow
Of Windsor's height th' expanse below
Of grove, of lawn, of mead survey,
Whose turf, whose shade, whose flowers among
Wanders the hoary Thames along
His silver-winding way. 10
......
Saturday's Child
by Countee Cullen
Some are teethed on a silver spoon,
With the stars strung for a rattle;
I cut my teeth as the black racoon--
For implements of battle.
Some are swaddled in silk and down,
And heralded by a star;
They swathed my limbs in a sackcloth gown
On a night that was black as tar.
For some, godfather and goddame
The opulent fairies be;
......
It's about time
by Khayelihle Bongiswa Gamedze
IT'S ABOUT TIME
Let us talk to the birds visiting us in summer,
Let us talk to the afternoon shadow,
Let us raise our pets to our level,
Let us raise our decibels...
It's about time.
Let us talk to the palarysing heat in the air,
Let us pick our items from the rubbish heap,
......
Poverty—A Curse
by Bushra Zuberi
When I see a small child
Washing dirty crockery,
I wonder aloud is this
All because of poverty?
When I hear a news
About a robbery
I think had he done
All because of poverty?
......
Our Society must change
by Robert Ippaso
Does society need a push to be made just,
Can we not together find solutions set to last,
Homelessness and poverty rife with shame,
With people given numbers but no name.
Are we so callous, blind and proud
To block our ears from cries so very loud,
Their wants and needs not our concern,
As we shake our heads with gazes stern.
......
Give Chance To Grow
by Rafiq Pasha
Let there be no restrictions
let there be no limitations
for the poor and needy.
For skint if any opportunity arise
let them reap the surprise
just support the weak and weedy.
Under the shadow of poverty
these beings exhibit honesty
......
no matter how fragile the light, it still beats the darkness
by Bogdan Dragos
This morning too
it jumped on his bed and
cried and pounced on his
face and licked his forehead
Now he had a reason to wake up
To feed the cat
And he had a reason to
take showers
......
