Written piece
Eat the Rich
Tamara Ali
Trinidad and Tobago
About this piece
Eat the Rich is a poetic exploration of economic inequalities and survival, by contrasting how society often treats the impoverished and working class compared to the wealthy.
We scream
eat the rich
as we fall to our knees from hunger
They're selling us our meals
as we starve in poverty
Groceries charging me $20 for coconut water
But I’ve been climbing my granny’s coconut tree since I was a baby
They pour concrete over agriculture to make workplaces,
then hire based on what your last name is
They want wives back in kitchens, yet the young cannot even afford homes
A man splitting the bill on dates, a woman using her body as pay;
neither wants to admit that they’re broke
They want fathers more present,
but for his children to eat, man must work 7 days a week
They want a woman to give birth when the only thing in her grumbling belly is
the baby
At least she can breastfeed...until a stranger calls it public indecency
Damn, not even the infants can eat freely
We can abstain,
but touch from another body is free!
No wonder there are so many babies running through the ghetto streets
Diaper hanging low because it has to last through the week
No wonder royal families have an heir and a spare
One to inherit the family’s riches, and another to ensure
that, in the face of tragedy, their wealth is not donated to the poor
They keep selling us dreams instead of helping us achieve
How ironic, they don't owe us kindness,
yet we're the ones paying for the 1%’s riches
Their generational wealth was built on the sweat of our ancestors;
my great-grandfather’s shirt still wears the stains
And I’m not blaming anyone in particular;
I’m just asking, if we’re all equal,
how come some are wearing diamonds, while others are under pressure?
Belly in my hand, living in a ditch
But I'm expected endure
How harsh we sound when we say eat the rich
How harsh they are when they do not feed the poor