Friday 11 May 2012

Jean Binta Breeze (b.1959) - REALITY

Reality
dis is a reality
ah time we tek a stack a die reality,
                                              reality,
                                                 reality,
dis is a reality

They say the problem of the nation
is overpopulation
and the unemployment stages
and the cutbacks in the wages
are results of that situation
while the brains of their technicians
are building new moon stations
war weapons increase
while young babies decease
from an illness widely known
as malnutrition

The votersreturn to the polls
con-trolled by a man in a rolls
who has set up his loyal henchman
to become a politician
to thrill poor people's souls

Then come new laws on sanitation
designed to cut down on pollution
but the big man's factory
dumps its waste into the sea
and the food we can eat is full of radiation

We read of wars in present history
aimed at saving our democracy
each man has a vote
now the taxes cut his throat
and dreams rot while
egos fight for supremacy
The power of the intellect of man
is being controlled by the gluttonous ones
who decorate their babel towers
with the brains they have devoured
in their quest for human destruction

Reality
dis is a reality
ah time we tek a stack a de reality,
                                             reality,
dis is a reality . . .

Reprinted from:-
Grandchildren of Álbion
New Departures, 1992

One of my favourite poetry anthologies,
still fresh and full of zest 20 years later
beg, borrow , steal, contains over 40 poets
in a book that continues to inspire,
contemporary but beyond the mainstream
.... superbly illustrated , including work by
many great poets, including :-
 John Cooper Clarke,
Attilla the Stockbroker,
 Linton  Kweisi Johnson,
Carol AnneDuffy,
 Benjamin Zepahaniah,
John Agard,
Ben Okri.... and many more
edited by the great Michael Horovitz ......

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