DILEMMA.

                        DILEMMA.

It creeps into the household and is cunning as a fox,
devours what’s in the pantry and then puts holes in your socks.
It stays awake throughout the day and never sleeps at night,
A hideous intruder – shows no mercy in its plight.

Its hunger never ceases, does not give, and only takes;
this monster, old and ugly - has been bred from past mistakes.
It thrives upon the people who can least afford it most,
this sinister disaster far scarier than a ghost.

Its been alive for centuries, and it is deaf and dumb;
chasing mostly working-class, and it gains a hold on some.
It has no country preference, and it is active here;
its morals are non-existent, of law, it has no fear.

Allows slow starvation and often gets entwined with crime;
can steal away ambition while it has no sense of time.
To some, it is invisible, yet those affected surely see,
this terrible old monster they all know as POVERTY.

© Harry Harper.