Is This the Face of Poverty?

Is This the Face of Poverty? Is this the Face of Poverty I see before me now? So hot my dear; let’s visit the market – A plastic camel? – teapot so battered? Ask him my dear - a silver casket? Is this the Face of Poverty I see before me now? A garden my dear, lettuce and potatoes - A man - he waters plots so small - Some carrots, and onions, and even tomatoes! Is this the Face of Poverty I see before me now? Look my dear, a tent so dirty - Someone inside, her water boils; Some rice, some Oxo? – a scene so pretty! Is this the Face of Poverty I see before me now? A Tuareg my dear, his face behind a veil, He stares in such a threatening way, My dear – a dagger he has for sale! Is this the Face of Poverty I see before me now? My dear - young boys, so grubby, so sweet They follow with hands outstretched, “Un Petit Cadeau!” they call along the street! Is this Face of Poverty I see before me now? “Away my man!” This heat is hell! “I have no wish to tour the Jingry Mosque” It’s time to return to the Soffitel. Is this the Face of Poverty I see before me now? My dear, I hate the dirt and heat; The bread’s so gritty, the sun’s so hot I long for Pinner and home so sweet. No poverty I saw, my dear, before me, then or now May 2013 Notes: Title: - This poem is set in Tombouctou, before the insurrection by AL Qaida and Boku Horan, and seeks to emphasise the patronising approach of a few tourists who find themselves in a strange culture, of which, they have little or no understanding. Verse 3: - OXO cube and boiled rice – a common meal in times of hunger and famine. Verse 4: - ‘Veil’ – A blue cloth - a Tuareg turban. Verse 4 - Tuareg dagger – vicious-looking weapon – now sold to tourists. Verse 5 - ‘Un petit cadeau’ – (French) - essentially, “have you any money?” Verse 6 – “The Jingry Mosque” - Djinjuereber Mosque – Major mosque and Islamic Library in Tombouctou – a World Heritage Site – trashed by insurgent Islamist Tuaregs in April 2012 . Verse 6 - Hotel Soffitel, Tombouctou – was a plush hotel for foreign tourists. Verse 7 - Pinner – The Very Epitome of Suburban London with chattering classes........