P oetry R epair S hop (1999.07: 078)
- CONTEMPORARY INTERNATIONAL POETRY
- by new, emerging, and established poets

MYRNA LOY

The Colour Tells a Story
(Angola June 1996)


When you last looked at an impoverished child
Did you notice the way his red eyes looked wild...
The way his body looked as though it had been cut and dried...
And were you at all surprised??

When you last looked at the colour of trees,
Swaying green in the Luanda breeze 
The colour of money, envy and greed...
Did you feel unease?

When you last looked at a pregnant soul...
Strutting proud, the colour of coal; 
Burnt by the sun, empty promises and men...
Did you feel at all, alien?

Did you notice that her eyes that were reddened
Like the colour of the eyes of the impoverished children,
The colour of anger, blood, danger and crimson...
And were you at all saddened?

And while you were working for the peace-keeping mission
Did you think about the impoverished children,
Who looked to you to answer their problems...
and did you feel emotion?

Pray tell me what will your answer be...
To banish such inequality...
Found in the colour of blood and money
Creating the colour of poverty?



Poem copyright 1999; all rights reserved. (If you desire a copy of this poem, please contact the AUTHOR).