You are not my destiny - A Letter to Poverty

Poverty

Well I don't suppose I should even ask you how do you do cause clearly you are well and striving, Africa, Brazil and many others are in a shameful condition because of you. You are responsible for such destruction, death, pain, shame and I am sure it makes you feel great. What I ask myself is where your origins are? Are you an illness, a condition created by some to control and shame others, are you a state of mind, an inheritance to the unfortunate? Where you reside there is so much taken away from the people there and the indignity to dish feeds the very same elements that turns siblings against each other, plant hate amongst nations and encourage abuse of many by those who are free of you. You turn humans into prey of the birds of the sky, soak healing hands into blood while they turn into murdering hands, your persuasive ways capture even the mind of a child that cannot yet comprehend language and then you turn into their reality.

I was born in an environment where you ruled, the world you had created and as I grew older I knew that I did not want to be a citizen of your country, a resident of your prison. I decided that you will not be my teacher and take every opportunity to remind me of how unworthy I am of anything better than you, I refused to be continually beaten and abused by you while I return for more. So I took a step, a stand against your rule, no you are not my destiny, you are not what I am meant to be.

You can remind me of the times I slept without anything in my stomach, show me a pictures of the same pair school shoes I wore all my high school life, the school uniform that was torn by the washing it received everyday because there wasn't an alternative and remind me of the stomach cramp that became my focal point in class daily because I had nothing to eat in the morning. Well guess what I am not ashamed of that history, it doesn't highlight your greatness to me but my ability to rise above such challenges and no I do not need hands outs. I am what God intended me to be and the greatness in this life is mine, I may sleep without food, sleep in the streets, have no clothes to cover my back but I have the will and the knowledge that you are only a temporary situation and not my destiny.