The Ladder Of Life By Mai Venn Poem by Mai Murphy Venn

The Ladder of Life
by Mai Venn


Born into poverty - the bottom rung,
Deprived of childhood education;
However, life is a far better tutor,
Learning from parents and siblings;
With its advantages and disadvantages,
The old ways were good but unrealistic.

Adolescent and poverty, the next rung,
Slave labour for pip pencea day,
Beneath all weathers and situations,
Living under the deplorable rule,
Governments that crack the whip
To keep the unfortunate folk down.

Approaching adulthood, meeting more rungs,
Starting a family with no prospects,
Drudgery repeats itself once more -
Look on at the suffering of the poor,
Then look over at the rich prospering -
Where is the equality in that?

Up or down the ladder, on we go,
Fairness is an illusion for some,
Freedom is a dream for others,
Justice is never straightforward,
Equality is something we'll never have
Not from the beginning nor to the end of time.

So the ladder of life can be climbed or not?
The rich get richer while the poor take the fall,
The world continues to spin around and around,
Does anything change for the downtrodden and poor?
Who, at this moment in time, can make those decisions?
Will there always be an equality division?