Liquidity

Save the whales
Gorillas in the mist fade into extinction
The dodo shall never return
Rhinos are brutalised for ivory
Large tracts of land cordoned off to house these glorious creatures
But what of the people who die crossing them in search of life

Put cows on milk cartons
For every sip a village gets another mouth to feed
The rules of engagement are not theirs
Another hippie knight was recognised
Another pop star gets an audience with a president
Millionaires give millions to malaria
But cause leukemia with their investment

I say come with cash
Carry it in suitcases
And hand it out at the village centre
$200 to every villager
$50 for every child
Come back again next month
Or let's go back to the way it was
Before boundaries were built and borders created
Let's revive the cowry shell
Or barter our way through the marketplace

I'd willingly exchange words for food
Or poems for shelter
But they cannot fill an empty stomach
Or protect us from the rain
Their medicinal speech does not cure AIDS
Or eradicate poverty

I say bring cash
No credit cards, no cheques
No press conferences, no programmes
Just bring cash
Enough to eradicate debt
Enough to pay for the school fees for a few million children
Enough to ensure that kids are fed

Think about it.
If you took 5% of the net worth of the 100 richest people in the world
And handed it directly to the people who needed it
We could truly make poverty history

I say bring cash