THIRD WORLD WOMAN

War


Poverty


Famine


Disease


Pollution


Deforestation


Overpopulation



Children sick with hunger
Famished
They lay in waste
Distended bellies
Lifeless eyes

Millions live this life
Every day
If you can call it that
It's more of a living death
That comes too slow
To a world that doesn't care
It's too preoccupied
Too easily offended

A child died today
Others will die tomorrow
Even the dirty water
In the village
Is drying up from draught

This is the world we live in
A world
Where politicians meet
And talk at international summits
As they dine and sleep
In luxurious comfort
The ice is melting
The seasons are changing
Animals
Insects
Fish and plants
Are disappearing
Becoming extinct

Sometimes
It seems as though
The world is dying
A long slow death
From centuries of war
And conquest of whatever
Seemed important at the moment

When they are through talking
And have solved nothing
More people will die
More ice will melt
More animals
Will become extinct

Where do we go from here?
When there is no clean air
Left to breathe
When there is no clean water
Left to drink
When there are no riches
Left to exploit
Will we hear their cries then?