Perspective In Poetry: Ode to Free Grass

Alas!   MP Samuda was taken to task  …
By the lowly and even some in the top brass …
Basically it was for free grass
Now that things have come to pass …

It was much ado about nothing
We as scribes are now noting
Free grass … an entitlement to us all …
The excitement we should appall

This was for Dr. Campbell … the best of times …
As death bells did chime
Political Daggers were drawn to murder Samuda …
It was all a sordid drama …

It made Brutus attack on Caesar look like child’s play …
There is very little we can say …
Samuda is in the public eye …
So we dare not cry …

Dr. Campbell got his 15 minutes of glory …
Which he would not view as infamy …
The dailies gave me front page …
Even if on reflection such was an outrage …

Why did Samuda pay for “free” grass?
Was it because he was a Brown man seen as of the upper class?
That would be akin to consorting with Satan
We think such may  be an egregious wrong …

Did Dr. Campbell draw the race card …?
It was too tempting to disregard?

“My mother was a domestic helper …
A single mom” … Dr. Campbell did utter …
Do give me your sympathy …
But to Samuda, give him agony

Who cares if he has a sleepless night …
Even if what he is accused of he is right …
Alas!  My mission may even be seen as trying to defame …
In politics such is fair game …

Class is class my friend John Public
This boils down to the raw dirty … body politic …
I really don’t care …
This is not a Sunday School Affair …

It was free grass Dr. Campbell …
There was no need to raise any alarm or to ring the bell …
There was no conflict of interest
It was all about Dr. Campbell’s self interest

If you knew PNP MPs got same  benefit …?
Would this render you mentally unfit …
To ever be taken seriously   ….
That would be a great tragedy

It was great tool …
Alas!  Not a great many you did fool …
It did cost Samuda half a million dollars … Jamaican
You will agree, quite an abomination!

By Hopeton O’Connor-Dennie who is a satirist, poet & photojournalist for Vision Newspaper