A People Problem
Author’s Note
This poem reflects on the tension between belief and influence, between holding faith privately and exercising responsibility within the systems that shape society. It questions the tendency to withdraw into lament while others occupy spaces of power and decision. At its heart, the poem is a call to awareness, urging people to recognise their inheritance, cultivate knowledge and work collectively rather than surrender ground through passivity.
There’s a trick to it, you see.
I know they do not want you to see,
but when has that ever stopped you?
We need you in those places
not as religious folk,
but as people who understand
the definition of power.
You see, the ones you mock
have embraced the system
and denied the God.
You see, the ones you berate
have laid their foundations
and called you to work for them.
You see, the ones you call sinful
have adopted the very wisdom
the Creator has bestowed upon you.
But still you lie there
in your sackcloth,
weeping and mourning
for better days to come.
There is a time for ashes.
There is a time
for the phoenix.
You need not only
the nature of Him who sent
you need power.
You need knowledge.
So seek.
What you thought in passing
is right.
We have a problem
a people problem.
And our system
is shot to ruins.
So enough
with the complaints
at the House of Laws.
Enough
with the blame
that leaves fingers unturned.
Carve out your space
and manifest.
Do the utmost
in the very centre
where you find yourselves.
Have disciples
and train men
as you have been taught.
This is no advice.
This is counsel.
This is wondering
when it will all end.
How long must we continue
to share our inheritance
and then say it’s stolen?
How long must we fight wars
in enemy territory
instead of bringing them
into our terrain?
How long must we wait
for it all to make
an iota of sense
beyond our transient mind?
I see your limitations.
I know it’s hard.
But just behind that hut
behind the dung hill
and the cornerstone
is one
who thinks just the same.
Find him.
__ Laurel