First World Problems

                                    pour Sani, pour Lamaka
pour ONG SBOP

 jingling in the gallon, scrunching of bills, flip in front of flop through the market and down the street–steps of valiant members of NGO SBOP—Solidarité Béninoise pour Occidentaux en Péril—Beninese Solidarity with Endangered Westerners—who call to action and reaction

“Can you give today? Spare some coins, share some bills! They need help in the West, the Whites in the West!”

occidentals accidentally wandering the streets, eyephone statue of libertied in search of 4G and free wi-fi. help for the whites, poor, poor whites, with fat non-flat TVs and regular ray DVDs

“Help for the whites, help for the West! —help the poor in America, the hungry. Not everyone is rich like J.R. Ewing! Aid for the white poor!”

westerners wasting away—poor? poor literacy perhaps, poor manners, poor attitudes and poor gratitudes, poor pub men pouring piss-poor PBRs in pilsners, poor wages and poor vision, poor women and war rages, poor insurance, health, independence, poor wealth

occidentals enduring accidents

“They are hungry in America, they suffer drought and hurricanes, they have no homes, they have no help!”

“Well then, brother—
“Well then, sister—
how can we help?”

“Share your change, even a little will help. We may have here next to nothing, but we can help. We know how to help,

                                                              We in Africa have love, love for our neighbors.
                                                                           But in their country, they have no love,
                                                              no love for helping their neighbors.”

“I did not know this.”

“And so you know, and you must help our poor, Western brothers and sisters, endangered and angered, imperiled and impoverished. We must show them the love for neighbor in Benin, our neighbors on the globe…”

change for a chance , and then more jingle into the gallon

et aussi
pour Zeynab,
pour Eléphant Mouillé,
pour Danialou Sagbohan,
pour John Arcadius,
pour Angélique Kidjo

For a brief word about the origins and inspiration of this poem, simply click here.