Discarded Poem by Kenneth Maswabi

The streets of life are full
Young people dumped on every corner
Left to forage for an elusive life of opulence
Sold a barrage of ideas at a price of gold
Their education has become some sort of scam
There are no teachers in the streets
Just life with its sharpened claws and crowbars
Ready to pounce on the weak and vulnerable
Alcohol and drug abuse are the latest items
On the outstretched shelves of their young minds
They have no idea where the next meal is coming from
Forced to combat the scourge of Covid-19 pandemic on empty stomachs
They are facing multiple issues at once
Mental health issues are about to show up
On their neatly polished mental framework
It is a terrible time for those from far away
With no families to support them
They are left holding to the street corners
Loitering at night with a tinge of shanty look
To entice the night crawlers
They are attempting to turn the darkened streets into powerful businesses
It is not a scene from the latest movies
It is the harsh realities of today's world
It is a sad reality that is often left unsaid
Not pasted on the billboards of life
Just left to the forces of nature
To tear it into pieces of pure sorrow
©Kenneth Maswabi