Jesus Wept

Karugyembe Hungry children, each the height of a bucket Bloodshot eyes Unshed tears Rugs stitched together to clothe their bony bodies Shallow pockets Not a penny at hand False confidence Unfulfilled promises The pot-bellied politician served his hot air And fled Lest his eyes should be scooped out by a hungry populace. Kampala Hungry children, Mothered and fathered by humans incognito Nurtured and sharpened by the hospitable streets Hands, thin like wire mesh Palms stretched out Begging for anything edible Empty pockets And narrower brains, perhaps A learned people Screaming in tongues incoherent Praying to gods unknown For deliverance from the den they plunged themselves into; A life president Jesus wept So do we .