THE RAIN GODS

By Tikum Mbah Azonga

I know them
I know them all
I know each of them by name
I have counted their match boxes
And they all tally perfectly
Their names are written in scarlet and gold
And their index fingers are guilt-edged.

They wear socks without shoes
And rake their home paths the wrong way
They have all mortgaged their wanton lives
All because they hoped for crumbs
From the minister`s dinner table
They don`t know they`re like the naked emperor
Nor that they live in transparent glass houses.

Copyright 2010