Humanity’s Misery
for Sale
by: Cheryl L. Daytec
The
compradors imprecated your fiery rhetoric
Scorning
avarice that empties famine’s belly
Indicting
thirst that lusts after plebeian sweat
Yes,
even enslaved blood from chocked veins
You
drew lines of parity - no rich, no poor
Just
humanity eating from the same plate
To
each based on penury; from each, on gift
You
preached that one’s labor must liberate
The
precariat from helotry to Wall Street
On
that cruel day, one hundred souls vanished
By
the ruthless hands of the butler of greed
Korda’s
camera arrested your pain and rage
Framed
between a silhouette and a palm tree
Now
frozen for the world to see… everywhere
To
those who heard the clarion call, it is the face
Of
deep love for the masses who are also oneself
The
face that speaks indignation against injustice
Against
oligarchs bestriding borders as fictions
of law
To
reach last frontiers beneath the feet of first peoples
The
gold fever afflicting them does not come
down
They
eat what they steal, and get even hungrier
As
their bursting patrician pockets get deeper
To
the naïve and nescient, a movie icon’s face
Or,
perhaps, a heavy metal band’s sex symbol
In
thoughtful contemplation of the next show
To
capital, nothing is sacred; even God is cash
Comrade
Che, you would not believe me if I say
Today,
I saw your face on T-shirts and bikinis
Offered
at altars of the golden calf on high
streets
Of
Bangkok, of Manila, of London, of San Salvador
Of
New York, of Sidney, of Beijing, of
Pretoria
Your
enemy keeps the contours of your face alive
Flouting
the fire and faith that resided in your
soul
A
cursed thief to sell humanity’s desolate visage
