Beggin'

 Reality is a horror story

Scored with a haunting melody

Life is cruel, people claim

A dog eat dog world!

The law of the jungle!

A jungle, yes, of concrete monoliths 

Peopled by cold, unfeeling machines

A man is on the street 

Hunched under the relentless rain 

Hand outstretched, pride dead in his acidic stomach

It's his fault, of course, rustle the Chinese whispers

Why can't he stand on his own feet, as I do, they declare

Riding past on the backs of their ancestors, 

A cocoon of privilege, wrapped like a kashmere scarf

A woman is on the street 

Draped in the colours of the world

Hand outstretched, a prayer on her lips

It's his choice, of course, the sheep bleat

Why can't he be like the rest of us, normal, they wonder 

Putting on their blinkers of prejudice,

A mask of conformity, designed by the factories of intolerance

A child is on the street

Armed with an infection smile

Hand outstretched, eyes blind to the cold world

It's his luck, of course, the sound echoes 

Why isn't he in school like the rest of us, happy, they question 

Stepping over the gates on their high horse,

A wall of entitlement, separating us and them 

Humanity is on the street, 

Trampled by our indifference

Hand outstretched, begging for our attention

It's not my problem, of course, mankind implores

Why can't you look away like the rest of us, selfish, they grumble

Making their way into their ivory towers, 

A nail in the coffin, man, woman and child buried under six feet of apathy.