Kipling's Cheaters

Kipling's Cheaters You may talk of cheatin' lawyers You may talk of cheatin' wives But you’ve not been touched By the cheaten' kiss ‘Til an African steals your life. They cheat you down the highway Steal the very road And when they’ve got Your mother’s dime They’ll steal your Very soul. The first time I got taken It was a simple thing I bought a round trip ticket A short cruise topped the bling But later in Nairobi When planning my return I found the ticket agent Had cashed the thing and run. So forced to work my way home I looked for good employ A well known college hired me For work I did enjoy. The first month past with no pay And then another two And when I asked for wages They laughed and said “ So SUE” So angry was I at them I pouted and I screamed-- Never did imagine To be so roundly schemed! Love letters I was getting In piles from handsome men it cheered me up a bit to make romantic plans But what it was they wanted was not my sweet caress I was just their their passport to travel to U. S. I took another job next, A bio chemist’s plan-- He wanted me to write a grant For AIDS surviving clans. I wrote all day and night then, The mission was so grand! He emptied out the bank account And left me with the pen. So tell me you’ve been cheated Excuse me, if you please-- For 'til you’ve been to Africa You're still a babe to fleece. Jan 20, 2013