Who's Laughing Now?

In the dim and distant past rulers were absolute.
History made the rulers' subjects
appear to be abject in their submission.

Rulers found light relief from decision making
through the  character of their jesters and fools,
and the many pets they kept as familiars.

Now, in the rich west, 'democracy'
has replaced the ancient autocracies.

Our leaders and representatives
are near enough to us for us to write to them,
and read lots about them in the popular press.
We can join the parties that produce these great leaders.

But there is little to be gained
from being just one small voice
among many in local party meetings.

In truth 99.9 % of us are are now more distant from power
than the clowns pets and jugglers were from the king's ear.
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On 'Managerial Style'

Many organizations prefer
'arms length relationships'
with the folks, and the issues,
which they actively dislike 
being forced to deal with,
but which by law they must.

Their detachment in fielding out
their difficulties is much admired
by our modern media. We are told
that companies are 'being objective'
when they behave this way.

But is this really the case?

It is more likely that they are
paying handsome sums, to make sure
their backsides are very well upholstered
against accusations of improper behavior.

An Alphabet Of The Effects Of World Illiteracy

A is for A.I.D.S which still spreads like wildfire.
B is for Bloodshed, where grief breeds desire.
C is for Child brides, how tradition removes choice.
D is for Drug Abuse, how life loses it's voice.
E is for Ebola, which destroys life and tradition.
F is for Female Genital Mutilation which pleases men.
G is for Gender Inequality which breeds the loss of respect.
H is for homelessness, which inspires neglect.
I is for Infant Mortality which makes parents want more.
J is for Jail, where the young get sent and they lock the door.
K is for Kalashnikov-a reliably apalling invention. Encore!
L is for Life Expectancy-their hopes are shorter than yours.
M is for Malnutrition-where hope empties out intention.
N is for No Childhood,where child labour crushes invention.
O is for Overdose, proof to others of self neglect.
P is for Poverty, the dirt poor living rich in regret.
Q is for Quitting, leaving school early to work in the factory.
R is for Radicalisation, teenage fears rendered a reality.
S is for S.T.Ds, something many men carry, pass on, and deny.
T is for Trillion, as in $ promises for which the poor have to apply.
U is for Undermined, which describes the value of the vote.
V is for Voiceless-where elections make leaders seem remote.
W is for World Hunger, always looking for someone to feed on.
X is for X-rated, where the innocent are sexualised by porn.
Y is for Young Offenders, who consumately wish they'd never been born.
Z is for Zero, the number of options that some 800,000,000 humans have left
when all the above have done their work, and yet many affected by these things
remain far more cheerful than we would if we had suffered similar.

The Price We Set

on neighbourliness is conditioned
by how much more we think we have
than the other people we think we know.
The more we have the more protection
and hiding it will need from those we fear
who might be jealous of what we have.
We don't know how much others have,
because like us they have to hide it,
and count every word they share to create
masks of generosity from behind which
to give less than they appear to.
When security means individual wealth
it means the more we give the less we can expect
to receive, for having given what we have away.