A Lament for the Philippines

All around me, I watch my brothers and sisters die
Praying for a sign of a better life
Starving on the streets, sleeping in the gutters
Praying, praying for a change

All around me, I watch the guilty walk free
Taking what does not belong to them
Promising change, promising a better life
Taking, taking the hope for a better day

All around me, I watch justice die
As the dead lay unavenged
As their children wander the streets
No mercy for the lost, no vengeance for the plunderers

I hear their voices, crying out for change
The innocents keep dying, the greedy keep stealing
Is there no end to the injustices I see?
Is this all that we have grown to be?