I wish I can pen a poem br That sounds funny like a cartoon br Or raise a deafening slogan br Like the opposition men br br But I couldn’t laugh or bargain br Neither could I protest nor defend br When carrots challenged me at fifty br And a bunch of coriander at twenty br br br Like a voyeur at the veggies I leer br My tongue yearned for a tasty meal br But my wallet pleaded austerity br I returned home adding a little gravity br br br Who turned the Green gardens br Into barren concrete yards? I wondered br Soon we may have to learn br How to eat bricks, cement and sand br br Who is responsible for this sin? br Converting lively Earth into a dead machine br Did the Mother consent to this mutation? br Or has she changed her religion? br br I flinch, as much as you do wince br Can one cartoon; one newspaper column br Or a poem alter this situation? br Can they stir up the Govt.