Witch Doctor
By Matt Bailey
A wild witch doctor has got you a treat
Says it will open your eyes to loves strong beat.
Have a try of this – it will take you away
To a land where the innocent and fairies play.
You soar to a place where all is sweet
And there’s love on the face of the people you meet.
Puff goes the spell, back down to the ground
Descending on tears to the merry-go-round,
Your eyes in horror see faces masking
Suffering and dread and questions gone asking.
~~~~~
A man sits there with a bleached white coat
Giving you a potion to pour down your throat.
It takes away the edge and it takes away the pain
Soothing drops as soft as rain.
You fight like a warrior, you love like a king
You charge the pagan hordes with a stone and a sling.
But behind the white lurks dark intent
Hidden in his pocket is the money you spent.
A cloud of locust looms over the hill
Threatening destruction and ready for the kill.
Your life stripped bare, your eyes cast down
Tears take the place of your diamond crown.
Author Notes: Are they any different – a street dealer selling coke, a supermarket selling cheap alcohol and a pharmacy pushing painkillers? Legal or illegal, sanitised or demonised, advertised or criminalised – they all sell you the same temporary escape, pocketing serious money while causing serious social problems.
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