The country was called Burma until
their military took over
Shooting political opponents
while arresting social activists
Last July, in the heat of summer
It took a tragedy to know Maynamar
Now, a cyclone landed and left
thousands stranded, killing thousands
more
Their numbers still soar
From 3,000 to 10,000 to 100,000 dead
Why are we ignoring a nation of Asians?
Just like the West, oblivious to the world
If a country has no oil, Bush has no concern
Of mankind's well-being
Once again, we're seeing
The Ugly American revealed.
At the cost of impoverished people
whose fate we have sealed
Author notes
Last summer, the nation of Mayamar (Burma) suffered through a bloody coup. I was walking in downtown Des Moines and encountered a group of Burmese protestors. They presented me a flyer describing the human-rights crimes being committed in their country. It seemed all of that was forgotten, until a cyclone destroyed much of the land last weekend. The death toll rose to immeasurable figures, like 100,000 or so. Considering the tragedy, Maynamar rarely saw any coverage.
A contest entry
- Give me your best! by BabyBun.
450 points, ended May 8, 2008, 24 entries
Gold trophy winner
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Please tell me what you think
Comments
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I still call the county Burma; and it is not like North Korea, Burma is a country full of rich natural resources; but like North Korea, has a nut at the head of its government. The problem right now is the nut cases running the country wont let aid in; however if they ever do, it will probably be a lot better aid than what we provided Louisiana, one of our own states.
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How many blind eyes can we turn
When will we learn
That all we do and all we are
Affects others from afar
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I am glad.
I am glad that we live in this country, the cyclone was a disaster. It should bother us all, and why did FEMA ignore Virginia in the recent tornadoes that destroyed a lot of property? Disasters will happen and will continue to happen. It takes years to recover but I can not blame it on our government, and I respectfully disagree on that point but do think that we should do all we can to help.
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James . . . once again you bring your hammer down upon the rusty nail with poetic force . . . WHEN WILL WE EVER WAKE UP!!!???
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