Poem: The Shattering of Democracy

It’s not enveloped in heavy armour

Or folded in many layers of steel

Democracy is found in the people’s hearts

Closely guarded by the spirit of humanity

Democracy is the people’s project

And no man can bulldoze it to the ground

It’s only the people swayed by whatever circumstances

That can tear down the walls of democracy

Sometimes through silence that shatters the windows of reason

Other times through the ferocious claws of ideology

It’s true that democracy is not perfect

Especially if tainted by corruption and selfishness

Or sometimes just pure wickedness

But democracy is the only hope for the people

In our diversity, we harbour humongous differences

But one thing is certain

We cherish our freedoms, peace and rights

We hold dear to our freedom of association

And our ability to determine our destiny

Even though sometimes we falter

Allowing evil men to lead us astray

We have always prayed for our democracy

To be a bastion of hope for all

Now the winds of time are changing

With so much hopelessness

We find ourselves at the crossroads

Having lost all our ability to look each other in the eye

And wish each other the best

We are divided

Some have accumulated more power than others

Some have enriched themselves at the expense of others

While others are climbing on top of the vulnerable and poor

In order to get to the top

We are a people at the crossroads

Materialism and selfishness have overtaken our selflessness

We are now competing against each other

Forcing each other to bend or break

We are shattering the foundation of our democracy

In our intoxicated state of hopelessness

Anarchy is taking root

Falsehoods and lies have been planted in our hearts

Conspiracy theories cultivated in our minds

And transplanted in our souls

We are slowly losing our humanity

As we gather around the fire of wickedness

Whether stoking up racial hatred and anarchy

Or feeding on lies, untruths and deceit

We are falling fast into the abyss of the unknown

And we need to stand together as humanity

To condemn this recklessness

To amputate this malignant tumour

We need to restore our democracy

Cut out all forms of inequalities

Remove all toxins

Bring everyone to the pedestal of hope

We need to find our true path

Inside the vault of our collective consciousness

We need to preserve our democracy

©Kenneth Maswabi