Catapulted Collapse

Closed-off quarters,
the world espies a glimpse
of lands haunted by
disease and starvation

rare sight spies
inside secretive country,
seeing truth
at grass-roots level.

Years of bad
governance, greed
and neglect
dictate disaster
for needy millions

in fighting queues
for thousands
of newly-dug graves,
pockmarking Zimbabwe...

the forgotten souls
whom the world
refused to save.

Orphans on the increase,
now record numbers
as unemployment spreads
and inflation runs
at 6,600 percent;

another statistic...dead.

Economy is collapsing
under isolational regime;
condemned
to malnutrition.

Dams dry, reservoirs recede
as catapults catch mere
woodpeckers, meat and measly
watermelon diet, as children
die 3 seconds apart.

Small groups
gather grieving, with twigs
to paint pain upon
basic graveside signs

as infrastructure crumbles
'neath Mugabe's evil reign.