Dark Chocolate Poem by Reshma Ramesh
Dark Chocolate
Wrapped in shinny wrappers,
golden, red, silver and brown,
chocolate, the king of sweets,
everyone's favorite treat,
dropp it in your mouth,
it slips and melts,
bitter sweet with nuts,
lover's gift, chocolate kiss!
Born in West Africa
bred by little hands,
little feet walked three days,
on stale porridge and water,
sweets they have heard not,
schools they know not,
only cocoa farms.
With machetes in their hands,
they chop the pods,
often, when they swing too high,
they strike their leg,
often when they swing too low,
they, strike their hand,
hospitals they have none,
muddy clothes they tear
and tie the bleeding wounds,
continue to collect the beans,
for a child in the city
might be throwing a tantrum,
for his favorite sweet.
Hungry hearts, candy bars,
snakes bites, valentine's gift,
gift of blood, spraying pesticides,
dark, white and milk, pleasure trip,
horror, blood and tears, cartoon strip,
Easter egg, child labor, dark treats.
When the men in uniform they arrive,
the children hide the machete,
and pretend to play, how can they
for they know no games.
The cocoa bean from black, muddy
bleeding hands sit on the shelves
of the finest stores where tiny
soft pink hands pick them up
From hand to hand the chocolate
travels, sinned on the way
bitter sweet, the chocolate's way.
money.cnn.com/2008/01/24/news/international/chocolate_bittersweet.fortune/ - 70k -
www.antislavery.org/homepage/news/cocoareport290702.htm -
www.american.edu/ted/chocolate-slave.htm
Hey Reshma you proved yourself again..........lines done with longing care.....can feel the lines deep in my heart.........sebastine...10+
Waoo! You've done it again................'Born In West Africa'! ! In The Land Of Cocoa.I really love this poem ('Dark Chocolate') .Well done and thank you. Edward Kofi Louis.
A lovely poem! Truly..and very deep..especially with the title.. Dark Chocolate..much darker when you discover how it is made.. Amazing poem..heartwarming..and revealing...
Thank you so much for this poem as I had no idea of those poor children slaving so hard. The theme of chocolate was an excellent choice and, of course, the happy/sad comparisons contributed to the painting of a vivid picture that will stay in my mind for ever. Excellent! Karin Anderson
Hi, I love this brilliant poem of yours. Read it many a times and read it to my 9 year old daughter too. She too loved and understood it. You are a gifted writer. Bravo!
no ordinary poem there.. only a deeply feeling heart and mind is capable of narating such a beuatiful poem the wizardry of inetrtwinig words and situations has been phenomenal... yes indeed the scourge of child labour in many situations is traced back to cultured and manicured hands....Condescending in treacherous extreme.... ten and cheers
Resh, You opened doors to an unknown world of pain tragedy and exploitation of children. I'm dumbstruck; stunned. Oh! Evrywhere this is happening.............
this issue must be very important to you, for the poem to be expressed in such a way. It manages to capture the issue and what it means, not by horror, but with gentle hands as if removing an eye cover.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
Delivering Poems Around The World
Poems are the property of their respective owners. All information has been reproduced here for educational and informational purposes to benefit site visitors, and is provided at no charge...
10/2/2023 3:28:44 AM # 1.0.0.1115
Brilliant work....sad to realise that all of what you so eloquently haveeducated us on...and all that so many of us, especially ME...dream of in our hunger-raptured dreams...could have so much real-life 'Darkside' to it...As always....Excellent Work, young lady...Your diversity, or as i call it 'Dye-verse-ification'appears to have no boundaries! F j R 2009