Are We So Blind
You look at him the one we chose to lead
He does appear so ordinary indeed
Are we so blind that through him we cannot see
If he's so average how stupid are we?
To have bestowed such great power on him in the first place
One so lacking in charm and wisdom and in grace
Than him a child has far more knowledge in his brain
Our choice of leader beyond me to explain.
The middle class to the wealthy he only represent
In a Land where far too many are homeless without even a tent
For to shelter from the cold and wind and rain
From the poverty of others far too many stand to gain.
The one we chose as our leader is so far from great
Though each day more millionaires he does create
For each new millionaire more are in poverty
Our sort of leaders we deserve it seems to me.
poem by Francis Duggan

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Hidden Poverty
In a Nation of many well off people they call it hidden poverty
The poor souls of the back streets that the wealthy never see
They live in condemned houses that are clearly in decay
And out of sight is out of mind or so 'twould seem that way.
In a Nation of many millionaires many live in a tent
People forced to become Homeless when their landlord on them raised their rent
The greed of the wealthy leads to homelessness and the numbers of the homeless multiply
The only roof that some know is the polluted Urban sky.
The Land of opportunity many have been known to say
Those who feel that all is rosy they themselves are doing okay
So many do grow poorer for every new millionaire
That is life some will tell you but life's not always fair.
In a Nation of many millionaires hidden poverty abound
And in the back streets of the City people sleep on the bare ground
Crudely referred to by some as losers and it seems sad to recall
That there was never such a thing as a 'fair go for all'.
poem by Francis Duggan

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To Have Power Over Others
To have power over others is something one does not need
For tis only by good example that one can ever lead
And many with power over others their power they do abuse
And for those who abuse others there cannot be an excuse.
If you wish to be a leader some sort of form of power you crave
And what it takes to be a great leader is to be understanding kind and brave
But leaders with such qualities to say the least seem rare
To some very ordinary people they do favourably compare.
For to have power over others a good person does not desire
And many power hungry people are those we should not admire
Power over others and personal power are different from night and day
We all do need some personal power for to serve survival's way.
To have power over others is something one can do without
And on those who desire such powers one has to cast some doubt
They seem to be control freaks with darkness of the soul
The lives of other people they do need to control.
poem by Francis Duggan

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The Downfall Of Human Kind
The downfall of human kind it would seem to me
Are greed and corruption, homelessness and poverty
And patriotism and religion and National pride
All of these things lead to war and they are World-wide.
In a World where millions are dying of hunger and disease
The refugee camps are full of refugees
Millions displaced due to war and famine of great suffering they know
The people fleeing war zones with nowhere to go.
Even in so called wealthy Nations poverty is rife
And the ruthless look on the poor as the losers in life
Far too many homeless on poverty street
With nowhere to live and with little to eat.
Some grow wealthy and successful though they lie and cheat
The capitalist system has failed us complete
Thousands must grow poorer for every new millionaire
Do not tell me that the capitalist system is fair.
So much poverty in the big World out there
And so many are living in hopeless despair
But one falsehood with some sadness we recall
The lie we believed of a 'fair go for all'.
poem by Francis Duggan

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What Does It Take To Be A Leader
What does it take to be a leader you ask someone other than me
For in most in positions of power a hunger for power I do see
I speak in the tongue of a cynic yet would it not be fair to say
That one only becomes the Leader of a Country by being ambitious in a big way
Those who do need power in a big way are only out for their own fame
The Presidents never become Presidents without wishing for to make for themselves a name
Perhaps it is all about ego this great human lust for renown
A rare breed indeed quiet achievers though a few do live in every town
One never becomes Prime Minister or President of A Country without for the top job having the need
For surely one never does become a leader without desperately wanting to lead
'Tis tough at the top some will tell you but those at the top at the top fight to stay
The lust for power and success at it's greatest in the competitive Human World of today
So many look up to their leaders and the praises of their leaders do sing
But many with power do crave more power for power can be an addictive thing.
poem by Francis Duggan

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Sonnet: The Magic of Poverty
A birth in poverty is luck supreme!
A death in poverty, a great blessing;
A life of poverty is rare a dream;
Achievements great, stark poverty can bring.
’Tis poverty that goads nations do feats;
’Tis poverty that stimulates scientists;
In everything, poverty, wealth just beats;
The greatest men were in poverty’s lists.
And poverty lessens our worries much;
Account to God will be much easier;
Poverty gives the saint a divine touch;
In poverty, poets can fly higher!
Poverty helps to shun worldly pleasures;
A soul in poverty, Heaven allures.
9-14-2002
poem by John Celes

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One Of Johnny Howard's Forgotten
Like a piece of driftwood by the tide left on the beach to rot
She walks the streets of the slum end the one who is forgot
By the bureaucrats of Government they see those in poverty
As the people of the dead end who create their own reality.
The Government has been re-elected yesterday was voting day
And Johnny Howard remains as Prime Minister the voters had their say
To the middle class and to the wealthy class a hero Nationwide
And one who has greatly benefited out of the great social divide.
One of Johnny Howard's forgotten her tousled hair is gray
A woman in her sixties she has known a better day
Her Landlord raised the rent on her and now she must sleep rough
And life already on her it would seem quite hard enough.
The Government supporters are dancing in the street
As they wave their flags and buntings and victory is sweet
Yet in the World thousands are in poverty to every millionaire
And what have they to celebrate when life is so unfair.
Like a piece of driftwood on the beach that was washed in by the tide
She walks the street of the slum end her collie at her side
One of Johnny Howard's forgotten she knows of poverty
And there are many others just as pauperized as she.
poem by Francis Duggan

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Poverty-I
Lot of hunger and having no food is poverty,
Not having spare cloth to take bath is poverty,
Needing a shelter but not having one is poverty,
Child's sick but can not buy treatment, is poverty,
Fainting child dreaming a mouthful of rice is poverty
Searching warmth in cold flesh in winter nights, is poverty,
Sitting with umbrella on wetting bed in showering night, is poverty,
Thoughtful mother, two mouthful of rice and three children, is poverty,
An ill, deserted mother selling her child wishing it will survive, is poverty.
A defeated and desponded mother poisoning and killing her child is poverty,
.
.
posted on 31-07-2008
Copyright ©®2008, Palas Kumar Ray. All rights reserved.
poem by Palas kumar Ray

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The Forgotten Hungry And Homeless
The forgotten hungry and homeless nowadays to be found everywhere
There are millions of them close to a billion in the bigger World out there
The refugees of drought stricken Lands and of warlords and the homeless of Poverty Street
Basic human rights of them are denied shelter from the weather and enough for to eat
In a Human World where everyone is supposed to be equal after all we breathe in the same air
But the poor and the homeless and the hungry cannot feel that life is very fair
The minority those who are too wealthy people with too much of everything
Are people that many look up to though their praises I cannot sing,
In an egalatarian Human World everyone would have a home to live in
And nobody would be without food and well dressed and not ragged and thin
The poor by the day growing poorer and that does seem a sad thing to say
And the refugee camps of the World are all overcrowded today,
'Tis sad to think that from the poverty of many that a minority does stand to gain
And I with enough of food and shelter have no reason for to complain.
poem by Francis Duggan

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Poverty
To get a card of
Below poverty line
I have to spot a person
Who has a link with Maoists.
Some says the head of the
Government of the state
Is the leader of maoists
Catchhold him seriously.
Who is poor and
How far in poverty
I am not here to
Measured or explain or
Eradicate poverty.
Without poverty the
Functioning of the
Government is difficult
As you know.
To get a card of
Below poverty line
Is to rebuild
The government and
You must agree
The rich how dear.
poem by Gajanan Mishra

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On Overhearing Two Arguing About Poverty
I over heard two fellows arguing about poverty
Whilst I sat in the cafe drinking coffee
And in truth I could not help but overhear them
As they sat at the next table to me.
The older of the two a silver gray haired fellow
Said to rid the World of want and poverty
We would need to depose every despotic leader
But the younger bloke with him did not agree.
He said in so called wealthy societies there's want and hunger
And where affluence is poverty too abound
From here you don't walk far to see poor people
For poverty is everywhere around.
The older bloke countered but this is a free Country
And those in poverty have themselves only to blame
And if hungry people in our midst are living
Do not expect me to feel any shame
The younger man again with him did differ
Saying want is caused by those who only care
For themselves alone and their own self interest
Many must grow poorer for to make one millionaire.
I left them there in the cafe to argue
And not for me to say who is wrong or right
For both of them looked well dressed and well fed fellows
And they won't go to bed hungry tonight.
poem by Francis Duggan

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In Every City, Town And Village
In every City, Town and Village the haves and have nots reside
But even the poorest of the poor have got their sense of pride
And it must be soul destroying for them to have to beg to stay alive
But pride has to take second place to the will to survive.
The wealthy growing wealthier and the poor growing poorer in the great social divide
And sad to say the gap between the haves and the have nots has never been so wide
Millions are dying of hunger and in camps for the homeless and Stateless overseas
At least thirty million people that's a lot of refugees.
Poverty is a relative thing some have been known to say
And the poor one in a prosperous Nation would be seen as wealthy in a poor Nation far away
But to live short of money anywhere is not a pleasant thing
'Tis seldom of the homeless soul that the balladeer does sing.
In every City, Town and Village there is inequality
And even in the wealthiest of Nations there is want and poverty
And though everybody in the World cannot be a millionaire
The unequal distribution of wealth seems so very unfair.
poem by Francis Duggan

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Sonnet -A Leader Great
A leader great is born, once in a while,
with skill, courage, and forevision to rule,
The country wisely and in apt a style,
Deciding fast, yet staying like a Mule.
A leader great is humble to the core,
And slogs for people's progress, endlessly;
With energy and zeal, always in store.
He leads them out of chaos, selflessly.
A leader great is loved by even foes;
And gains all hearts and minds, forever so;
He works unceasingly despite all woes,
And tills the land thoroughly like a hoe.
A leader great tho' chosen by his wards,
Is pre-destined to work for no rewards.
poem by John Celes

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and why did He choose the manger, and Mary and Joseph?
and why did God chose
the manger for the seat
of his birth and Mary his
physical mother and
Joseph the carpenter?
he chose the place of the
poor, the innocent face of
the unsophisticated woman,
the callous hands of the
simple carpenter in the
small town of nowhere,
he chose simplicity and
poverty, he never chose
us, our place, our time,
because he may not have
liked it at all. Too rich,
too arrogant, too shiny,
and so dirty.
poem by Ric S. Bastasa

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Get Rid Of
Rid the Human World of rank and class distinction than those we need something more fair
Get rid of the titles of the Sirs and Madams and tax to the hilt every millionaire and billionaire
And strive for to alleviate the pain of poverty the poverty afflicting the poor
I disagree with those who say that poverty is like an incurable disease since for poverty there is a cure.
Get rid of Monarchies and the snobbery that goes with them privilege by right of birth does seem wrong
You poet there's a place for you in this only laud the unsung in your song
And with your pen try to drag down those tall poppies who seek to conquer and divide
The poor need you more than the rich do they need one like you on their side.
Get rid of those big bureaucracies that only serve the wealthy and privileged few
And promote the spirit of egalitarianism and give everybody their due
If in death all people are equal why not they be equal in life
All I see are greed and corruption in a World where rank and class distinction are rife.
Get rid of all war-men and terrorists because of them far too many have died
Our dream of an Earthly Utopia by these sort of people destroyed
We all were born naked and helpless and before we walked we learned how to crawl
And promote the things that unite us the right to a fair go for all.
poem by Francis Duggan

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Poverty In The 21st Century
It’s the 21st century
The media displays it day and night,
Poverty.
Poverty across the globe lies
Poverty cries out from the belly of little boys
Little girls, parents too
Desperately searching for food,
Shelter, clothing, for love,
Companion, for attention
Those with plenty, refuse
To amend, a world haunted by
Poverty.
Is poverty affecting the rich?
Are their poverty the same
As the poor in financial constrains?
For they, too, poverty of love
I see poverty in the learned
I see poverty in those whose
Selfish acts are destroying society.
I see poverty in all level of humanity
The world is still an imperfect place
Yet life is still beautiful, the wind
Blows, we see it not, give thanks
For what you possess, now go,
Help if you can along the way,
Help to eradicate poverty
In your surrounding, widen
Your boundary across your
Country, to nations of the world.
Help to fight poverty, now!
poem by Winston Harding

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Natural Selection for Friend Thad
I am a male an alpha plus.
My only purpose is to breed,
to sow the seeds of genius.
So that my offspring will succeed.
I am the leader of the pack.
No one is fit to take my place.
I have the wisdom which they lack.
I am the wolf who sets the pace.
We work together as a team
but I direct the strategy
I have the wit to plan and scheme
The other wolves defer to me.
That is the way it has to be
As long as I am best I’ll lead.
Some day some pup will challenge me
and hopefully he will succeed..
I am a male an alpha plus
but even alpha males grow old.
In nature it was ever thus
The leadership goes to the bold.
I’m not the wolf I used to be.
I’ve had my time now I must leave.
The pack goes on triumphantly
just as it should do I believe..
To lead the pack a privilege
that’s only open to a few.
Who have the strength and the knowledge
to rule the pack as they must do.
A pack that lacks strong leadership
will very quickly succumb to
lack of direction and hardship.
A leader must know what to do.
But also know he must give way.
To new leader in due course
He’s played the part he had to play
a law that nature will enforce.
Only the best is fit to lead
life is a struggle to survive.
Though a strong leader will succeed
ensuring that his pack will live.
Though leaders come and leaders go.
The pack remains an entity
Since time began it has been so
and will for ever seemingly.
11/06/2009
http: // blog.myspace.com/poeticpiers
poem by Ivor Or Ivor.e Hogg

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Children Should Not Have To Be Homeless
There are thousands of homeless children in Beijing in China though that is not suprising to hear
For where there is a huge population there is poverty too 'twould appear
And China to anywhere else is no different the rich getting richer they say
And just beyond the leafy suburb is the suburb of neglect and decay.
There are thousands of homeless children in New York though with that some may not agree
In America the great Land of commerce no such a thing as poverty?
But the facts of course will tell you differently and in a World of inequality
There too are children homeless and hungry in the so called Land of the free.
There are homeless children in London in England as well as in Paris in France
The poor children of the poor suburb in life they do not have a chance
Their parents in Jail for drug abuse they become the kids of the street
They search the rubbish bins for food in dark alleys and what others do throw out they eat.
There are homeless children in Sydney and Melbourne and anywhere else one might name
Though that does not seem to affect us we never reflect on our shame
That many should have to grow poorer for one to become a millionaire
In a truly egalatarian society would never be looked on as fair.
Children should not have to be homeless though born into abject poverty
They should not be punished for the sins of their parents so much for our humanity
And money to some all that matters and money is married to success
Whilst the children of the poor live homeless on the street of the No Fixed Address.
poem by Francis Duggan

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Many Must Grow Poorer
Millions will go to bed hungry tonight that does seem sad to say
And many of them will not wake again for to see another day
The sad fact that many die of malnutrition is sad cause for lament
Whilst billions in war by Governments are spent
Even in the World's wealthiest Nations people live in abject poverty
And the unequal distribution of wealth does seem all wrong to me
The wealthy getting wealthier whilst the homeless of poverty street
Are searching in the rubbish for thrown out food to eat
To have enough of food and shelter should be a basic human right
But millions must try to sleep hungry without shelter tonight
And many cannot feed their families on their meagre take home pay
In an egalatarian World things would never be this way
And many must grow poorer for every new millionaire
And for the hungry millions doesn't life seem so unfair.
poem by Francis Duggan

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The Shadow Inside My Shadow
poverty is not my cousin,
is not my lover,
is not my preacher,
poverty is not my brother.
poverty is not my prayer,
or the song that i sing
is not my answer
poverty is not my dream.
poverty is not my teacher,
not the hand that i hold.
poverty is not my anger,
not my spirit, not my soul.
ah! but this poverty is real
it races thru my mind
crashes into my heart,
& leaves me deaf and blind.
poverty is my companion.
the aching cold inside my hollow.
the blow behind my eyes,
poverty is the shadow
inside my shadow.
poem by Eric Cockrell

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Why Tell Me About It I know All Too Well
Why tell me about It I know all too well
That many are living in their Earthly Hell
The hungry the homeless the poor and downtrod
They must be the children of some Lesser God.
Why tell me about it I know for the have nots life must seem unfair
So many grow poorer for every new millionaire
The scourge of poverty rife in every Race
In a fair Human World this would not be the case.
Even in so called wealthy Nations poverty does abound
Not too far from where the rich live the homeless to be found
The streets of the poor suburb a breeding ground for crime
Where many don't live to enjoy their life's prime.
Why tell me about it of course I'm aware
That the poor of the World have never been rare
And millions are living in dire poverty
In a fair Human World this would never be.
poem by Francis Duggan

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