This poem is dedicated to all human beings yearning for freedom from hunger, poverty and all kinds of deprivation. Eid Mubarak and never surrender! Ramadan Thank you Ramadan Thank you for making me human You dawn on me Yes you humble me For a moment I seem to understand The hunger so intense Sudden surge of headache The sun's radiation on me As if to punish Thirst is no longer just a word It is the pain in me I can finally touch it Hunger I now know Feeling the twist In my weary intestines I think of the women and men Toiling under the intense sun Carrying the burden of life Inflicted by other humans Burdened by thy greed Fasting all their lives Their hearts full of grief Smelling the decay from within With no hopes of a great feast at dusk Nor the privilege of a meal at dawn Tempted by the smell of food I feel your pain How you constantly salivate Walking through the alley of poverty Smelling the distant taste of luxury The lavish cooking Spending to lure envy Splendid from head to toes As if supreme from birth Yet you are a thief You steal our wealth And give us poverty You steal our dignity And turn us into beggars You steal our youth And turn us into child soldiers In the darkness of Ramadan You hatch plans You commit adultery Infatuated with wealth Dangle the bait in my face Then snatch it away Now I feed on promises Are you not a sadist Ramadan you humble me But what do I do When the devil turns to me Asking for forgiveness When he has been sinning Foolishly hoping to purify During Ramadan Judgement day seems to be too far I continue to smell the decay For once we become equal Rich and poor shake hands As if to dilute poverty And remix the cards Wishful thinking We look forward Struggling and praying For our sun to set To set us free From hunger and misery To break the long fast Thank you Ramadan Alpha Robinson ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html ----------------------------------------------------------------------------