No Choice Poem by Chanda Nsofu

The poor have no choice
Poverty denies them the right to choose
It makes decisions for them
like a dictator makes decisions for a country
There are no negotiations
There is no consensus
Poverty is a dictator

The poor
eat whatever is there
No matter how rotten it is
No matter how little it is

The poor
wear whatever is there
No matter how tattered it is
No matter how dirty it is

The poor
live in whatever shelter is there
No matter how small it is
No matter how run down it is

The poor
do whatever job is there
No matter how low paying it is
No matter how dangerous it is