Silent Voices

Poorly Taught

75 Everyone told me only Miss Wright Would give me a word that was right. Strangely, Wright named a man with hair in dye, Saying a word from him would make you live or die. Confused, I thought something was wrong, For this clue places me on such a hot rung. Poorly Taught (For the children and teachers of Africa) Our children are poorly taught because Their teachers are poorly paid These teachers are poorly paid because We implement poor policies We implement poor policies because We divert attention away from those that merit reward We divert attention away from those that merit reward because We are jealous and have become selfish We are jealous and have become selfish because We don’t see the need to fight for the common good We don’t see the need to fight for the common good because Our jealousy has developed into blind hatred Our jealousy has developed into blind hatred because We sense competition even where there isn’t any We sense competition even where there isn’t any because We fear to lose our positions We fear to lose our positions because We lack genuine competence We lack genuine competence because 76 We cheated to get what we cannot really handle We cheated to get what we cannot really handle because We were poorly taught by our teachers Knowledge You are such an elusive And fragmented a resource We cannot solid claim on you lay In any single region You we often celebrate In our tropical region Teeming with idiotic crowds Of hand-clappers and praise-singers Undue fame we desire to attract And thus the grains that build up daily For quality content and form you to gain Frozen solid blocks soon become Indeed heavy icescapes In our polar region Where both content and form they lose In this core of self-centred pride Never Too Old You are too old, I’m often told, And your hands so cold, Your face-skin fold on fold ...