Land of Plenty, Plates of Want

Poem by Betty Kaine

In Sierra Leone’s lush and fertile land

Where diamonds shine, and gold does stand

Where rivers flow, and oceans abound

A food crisis grips, a people’s wound

With iron ore, and bauxite too

Our riches abound, but what to do?

When bellies ache, and plates are bare

Our natural wealth, can’t fill the air

We have the land, the sun, the rain

But still we struggle, to feed our grain

The irony hurts, the paradox too

A land of plenty, with plates of want anew

But still we hope, still we strive

To turn our riches, into a life to thrive

To invest in farms, in tools, in seeds

To grow our food, and plant our needs

So let’s unite, and make a change

Use our resources, to rearrange

Our priorities, our focus too

To feed our people, and see them through.