From Beacon Of Freedom To Emblem Of Bootstrapping Growth Poem by Alem Hailu Gabre Kristos

From beacon of freedom to emblem of bootstrapping growth
Tying a string to loan
Taking advantage of
A poor country,
Under the yoke of poverty
Forced to squawk and groan,
Also making
The noose tighter, tighter
So that aid it fails to garner,
Allow a hypocrite donor
To flog the receiver
Into a restricted domain
To every donor's whim
Willy-nilly saying "Amen."

Tragically, this way receiver's
Development wishes
And growths' talk
Will go up in smoke.

In such manner,
With malfunctioned cog
Receiver turns
The tail of the donor dog,
.
On the other hand,
For donor's
Geopolitical advantage,
With preferential treatment
The ingratiating donor's pet,
Pampered, will enjoy
Jealously -strewn
Dream's fulfillment
To its heart's content,
While the pushover
Smothered, maltreatments
Has to suffer.

It is such strings
The pushover-made
Ethiopia managed to cut
To generate much-needed
Megawatt.
Megawatt, which commands,
On the back, many a pat.
In so doing
Ethiopia has set an example
Emerging countries
Could realize
Developmental take off
By own dabble
Ramming home donors'
Double standard is
What developing nations
Do without, while in
Birth cry bout.

Chopping the string
With a self-esteem knife
Ethiopia born GERD to life
Tapping Abay—
A confluence of rivers,
Which are rife.

Ethiopia is
Tapping its gigantic river
That originates from its soil
To do away with women's
Back-breaking toil.

Ethiopia is harnessing
Its prodigal river
To avoid fetching firewood,
Chocked with smoke,
To prepare food.

Ethiopia is subduing
Its God-bestowed river
To outreach with light
Students that study
Late into the night
For want of
A reading lamp
Use smoky latern
In far-flung corners of
The country's
Schools map.

Ethiopia is
Forcing the river
Yield a hand
So that
Nation' demand
Electricity—
Mushrooming industries'
Lifeblood—
Thanks to GERD,
Soon, will flow
Like an irrigating flood.

Ethiopia is
Taming the wild river
In a bid
Environment-friendly
GERD starts
Generating hydropower soon
To let the region enjoy
The unprecedented boon.

When GERD materializes,
The heinous, covetous
Donors' pet,
Which claims to date
The river is
Its exclusive right
Will be
Coerced to stop
Eclipsing the country's
Affluence hope.

The less privileged
Which are
Under the same fate
Ethiopia's
Development thrust
Could emulate.

Soon Ethiopia will
Join the club
Countries marked
Industrial hub.

You know something?
Arm twisting
Is the mystery of the string!
So go for bootstrapping
Use shoestring.
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