Poverty

Affluence, what minute allowance ,
all we complain about is money,
for this that or the other thing,
we look into showroom windows ,
dream of the new clothes or furniture within,

while , perhaps
the woman trying to sell it to us, prays we buy ,
so she can buy for the starving mouths at home,

never mind the thin veneer of civilization we maintain,
what would happen if tomorrow ,
 you were thrown into a different world,
 all that you owned meant nothing,
but who you were held untold value ?

 would you die out ,
extinct from your insufficient concern
for any other than yourself,
or would you of a sudden rise from the gutter,
 become a leader of nations
because,
when you were down you still cared for another ,
less fortunate than yourself.