Hunger Pangs

The sign actually said ‘Universal Disposal’ but the haggard squalid creature Had no time for such ephemeral discourse he could just about spell his name Kanja meaning water born and his parents had hoped he would reach the Source They had died of Aids and he was sifting through rubble syringes sanitary towels At the land fill site and he was fortunate to have a job combing through rubbish A steady stream of trucks brought never ending waste for instant deposit And he knew which lorries came from the rich suburbs’ immeasurable wealth He collected what others discarded mostly plastic bottles scrap metal rusty nails As if delivered straight from the cross but the temple’s tables had never turned In the good days he had found some bills and coins but the cash times were gone He owned a bed in a township shack but slept even rougher in a torn blanket At the dump which was the best way to fend off his competitors at dawn break Meaning other poverty stricken humans disposed there and gulls and the rats Rich guys called him scum vermin savage but who says who the trash really is He knew about life had once only found a gold ring which he gave to his woman Sometimes he found a good lunch and licked his lips at take away packets but Always brought home the best nibbles for his children nieces and nephews Who relied on ‘first world nutrition’ to keep tuberculosis and rickets at bay The trash picker never complained however outcast he scraped out a wage ‘One day I will go to heaven and dine without the fat bastards sent into hell’ Today he found a few corpses riddled with bullets and red roses in their skulls Called the cops as a good citizen would and he waited for work to progress ‘This is a crime scene’ and they flashed badges and guns into his horrified face ‘Don’t touch anything and where have you been this fine morning boy’ They reeled him off to the station in a cage on the back of an old police van ‘Name identification and place of abode’ but his folks had never found time To register his birth and without surplus money he never afforded to buy an ID ‘This is suspicious we must fingerprint you and check your alibi and descent’ The pitchfork in his hands was deemed a weapon and they called for backup ‘Armed suspect possibly feeding off unidentified corpses’ they radioed for support He pulled out a worn paperboard card which his daughter head written for him Kanja Adebayo Sanitation Engineer First Class Waste Management Professional But this looked like body disposal and the officers proceeded with their routine ‘Do not try to be funny with us and with no proper papers you’re guilty for that’ The nights' cell he shared with serial killers and his kids had no Dad and no food 30th June 2019