Jude Chukwuemeka Muoneke

SWEET-PAIN OF MONEY

 

The root of all evil, 
Printed with pictures
of departed elites,
Whose records are
brutal and bloody.

It creates social stratification, 
The have and have-not, 
The bourgeoisies lord over
the proletariats.

We are at the mercy
of it gambits and gimmicks, 
Souls sacrificed for thy sake, 
On the luciferian altar. 

Our leaders loot it 
with a smile, 
Squander it without leniency, 
Their children wander like 
the prodigal son. 

The impecunious seeks it 
with a heavy heart, 
Hustling and struggling, 
Under the smiling sun. 

Young men have nationalized 
in strange lands, 
To seek money in humility;
Some sex workers, 
Some fraudsters and tricksters, 
Many tradeoff their kidneys. 

Greed for money has rendered 
Many homes childless, 
Grey hairs mock them, 
Tears of regret smile at them. 

Iberiberism has led many astray, 
Cupidity the driving force, 
Eschew or convey the cross 
of misery.