At first they came for our place of worship
Excavating underneath the foundation
Ripping apart the rights in the constitution
Knowing all well that it is no stewardship
Then they came for our meagre plate
Banning transport of female cattle
Stigmatising a faith with a stroke of a gavel
Knowing all well that many eat beef of late
Then they came for our legitimate purse
Outlawing instantly every day cash notes
Transforming whole life savings to a curse
Knowing all well the impact to the poor hordes
Then they came for our identity documents
Questioning our very basic right to soil
People rummaging to find missing documents
Knowing all well the social fabric will spoil
Then they came for our daily expenses
Imposing a stiff consumption GST tax
Taxing informal business to a max
Knowing all well the economic consequences
Then they came for our daily fuel
Escalating the prices at the pump
Turning everything into a crunch
Knowing all well it is all too cruel
Then they came for our meagre livelihoods
Imposing a lockdown as a cruel surprise
Stranding millions of desperate families
Knowing all well the impact to neighbourhoods
Then they came for our precious air
Rationing oxygen quota to the states
Ignoring the complex logistics to bear
Knowing all well the magnitude of the stakes
For what will they come abruptly
For the earth above our dead body
For the wood around our burning body
For the death of this great country
MN 2021.05.08