You vicious scum

You vicious scum, disgusting maggot
you live off flesh that wells with reeking rot
festered in salty sweat rankingly rendered
from aching angst of loveless labour

For what?

So you can slither in oozing lifeblood
extracted from your mindless minions
sapping strength dignity and hope
from erstwhile hosts
each dose a kick in the teeth
of those you should protect the most

they sacrifice to your deliberate deceit
looking to you as succouring saviour
salvation sought in delegated dividers;
personal ownership means accepting defeat
and losing sleep in hopeless failures

Paltry leader! confusion creator
red herrings and obfuscation your traits
rewriting history books and facts
Recreating the divides of class and caste
destroying the precepts of secularism
letting lose religious fanaticism

Eleventh month will go down first
as a failure of democracy
but somewhere else on earth
demonetisation slips through quietly,
exacerbating poverty, killing silently.

meanwhile, another dictator thrives
empowered through drug control disguise
pursuing vendettas with impunity.
further north, generational vote
cross border collaboration dies

Why oh why are we surprised?

Where are you, silent men and women
where is your line in the sand
when will you take heed of humane principles
speak out and refuse to reverse progress
or have you become the party's disciples
so you can benefit from promised lands

the day will come when we have regressed
beyond redemption, all freedoms lost
fascism the bold face of nationalism

Then what?