Pray For Thy Betterment Poem by Palitha Ranatunge

Ye, yonder live with the black dust
Unhealthy and poor, head to foot
Having no roof overhead
Having no cloth around
Having no food to consume
But giving birth to sick
Having them crawling over
Yipping in poisonous mud
Full of all the viruses of the world,

Ye pray for thy betterment
In thy afterlife in heaven
Or in thy re-incarnation
Having encountered with all riches
For a feature like a goddess
With a king and a kingdom
Having a dozen children
To be tamed and ruled happily,

Ye have sinned in thy pre-births
And now become poor in order of
Karma, and suffer for food and shelter
Thy children suffer for their sins
In the past as well,
They have duly been sent by the utmost,
Sophisticated and well updated
Data entry system of thy creators
The protectors of the system.

Beware! Ye sleep at the edge of the road
Across the pavement obstructing
The elegant and well mannered
Who briskly jogs and walks with delicate
Noses only adhered to sweetest smells
Ye, do behold with fear and respect
At these who had done only good deeds
Indeed in their pre-births and
Now enjoying the fruits of such deeds.