The Poorest Member Of The Family Poem by Kenneth Maswabi

In this family of human beings
Life is a piece of bread meant to be shared
In joy, we eat together at the table of happiness
In sorrow, we gather around the cold fire of pain
In this manner, life is a blessing and a sacrifice
Life is the harmonious overflowing of Love
And the revelation of eternity
Life is a sacred covenant

Now, we dismantled this family of human beings
Dissecting the heart of this ancient phenomenon
We extracted the Love out of this Soul
And replaced it with selfishness
Branded as capitalism, individualism and competition
We made life into a race
You either win or lose, you're either rich or poor
The wedge between human beings is forever elongating
The family of human beings is mutilated

Life is a covenant of Love
A harmonious system of joy and sorrow
Tears and laughter
Life is a tabernacle
A place of worship
A fellowship of human beings

Now, we have cultivated a trillion hectares of poverty
And made a life of suffering a reality for our children
We have multiplied our sorrow
And our tears outnumber our laughter
Love is frozen still in our hearts
And greed, jealous and selfishness are roaming the streets
Ego has taken over the family business
Our lives faces an apocalyptic damnation
Humanity is at the edge of the cliff of eternal damnation

Now, Love is our Hope and Faith
Love is the light that paves the path to eternity
Love is the eternal answer, the sacrifice and the covenant
Love is the everlasting renewable energy that powers life
Love is the essence of Life

Let us remember these words said by my uncle Gothusang Kgobero
"You are as poor as the poorest member of the family."