THE SECOND POETRY PRIZE WINNER –
WINTER 2022 – 2023
is Sydney Thomas
of Toronto, Ontario – CANADA
“The Moral Abyss”
See the world around,
it is not the land I was born,
truth and values all are gone;
lies and deceit now abound.
Blind to earth’s resplendent gifts,
of spring magnolias draped to explore
or see the sun’s reflection on the shores,
in pursuit of gold and grift.
Daily we see scams and fraud,
mankind wallows in moral decay,
with anger and violence every day,
pursuit of wealth their only God.
Even with nature’s lavish bounty,
there are those who have plenty
who want more and always cheat
and those with nothing to eat.
A world where laws are made by men
to curtail the freedoms of women;
to restrict their rights is their quest
and seclude them from the rest.
To foster hate for those who differ
in their ways of life, beliefs, or culture.
Creating anguish and distress,
so short a life to deprive of happiness.
An uneven scale simmers to unrest;
what ways can we devise to coexist,
to restore values essential to integrity
like empathy, equality and liberty?
~By Sydney Thomas~
