Sue Me If You Can Poem by Gert Strydom

Sometimes I wonder
what kind of criminals
is doing business today
in the new South Africa

and steal time, labour
and life
from their employees
and claim money
for undelivered services?

The rubbish collectors strike,
as they are not paid
and there is nobody
to collect the rubbish

and still the municipality
charges its fees
while you have to dispose of it
or have to pay other people
to remove it.

Mine workers are in revolt
since from November
they got no salaries
and it’s already the end of march
and some more promises
are made by the mine
that maybe later
fire them all.

A salesman’s sales
goes through the books
and money is received for it
and the boss
transfers all her property
to her children
and says that he
will get no commission
as she is bankrupt:
“sue me if you can.”