Poem highlights frustrations of poverty

The importance of listening to those affected by poverty was the central message of the recent conference looking at tackling the issue in Lincoln.

‘Nothing without us about us is for us’ was the refrain running through the Lincoln Against Poverty (LAP) Conference at the Engine Shed earlier in January.

The message came from Poverty Truth Commissioners – people who had been affected directly by the problem of need and who agreed to share their experiences to inform the way it is tackled.

The Poverty Truth Commission was set up two years ago facilitated by LocalMotion Lincoln, which aims to break down the barriers to prosperity by working with communities and putting the power of change in their hands.

One of the commissioners is Ron Booth whose poem, read at the conference, encapsulated the frustrations of trying to fight a way out of poverty.

As part of Hello Lincoln’s mission as a community website and to give voices to the people whose experiences will be shaping the way the city approaches the issue we’re publishing Ron’s powerful poem here.

 

Hand of Power 

In shadowed corners, silent cries, 

Where dreams decay and whisper sighs, 

The streets awake with weary tread, 

As hopes lie scattered, nearly dead. 

 

In tailored suits with polished pride, 

They craft the laws, they judge, divide, 

Yet in their halls, the voices fade, 

The burdens borne; the debts unpaid. 

 

With speeches spun in gilded tones, 

They tally votes, while hope bemoans, 

For every choice that wealth begets, 

The poorest pay with unseen debts. 

 

The hands that toil from dawn till dusk, 

Then find their worth reduced to rust, 

While bureaucrats with grand designs 

Count human lives as bottom lines. 

 

A mother weeps, a child protests, 

Their laughter drowned by empty quests,

 For safety nets turned fragile threads, 

And liberty’s faint echo spreads. 

 

But from the ashes, hearts ignite, 

A stubborn flame against the night, 

With voices raised in chorus strong, 

They claim their place, where they belong. 

 

For in the face of strife and pain, 

Resilience grows, like summer rain, 

And though the hand of power may sway, 

The people's strength will light the way. 

 

So let the hollow promises break, 

Let every heart unite and wake, 

For in the fight against the scorn, 

A just tomorrow can be born. 

By Ron Booth

 

See the Lincoln against Poverty video in the Community Section of this website and keep checking in for more news from LAP.