Poem: A World of Woe

[Audiendus]

A World of Woe

I looked at the papers on Monday
And saw they were full of bad news.
There was chaos and carnage in Gaza
And strife between Muslims and Jews.
I read of Hamas and Hezbollah,
Of Houthis attacking our ships,
Of Lebanon, Egypt and Yemen,
And autocrats licking their lips.

I looked at the papers on Tuesday
And saw there was cause for concern.
There were hurricanes, earthquakes and flooding,
And wildfires continued to burn.
The air was polluted with carbon,
Which governments promised to cut,
But they claimed there was no need to hurry –
A stance which most experts rebut.

I looked at the papers on Wednesday
And saw Britain's troubles were stark.
An acid attacker in London;
More teenagers stabbed in a park.
Police chasing ever more villains
And mired in corruption to boot,
While vowing to root out the racists
In plans that have yet to bear fruit.

I looked at the papers on Thursday,
Updating myself on the case
Of widespread Post Office malfeasance
In the well-known Horizon disgrace.
I watched the ongoing inquiry
And saw the inquisitors quizzed;
They squirmed as they got their comeuppance,
And the atmosphere quietly fizzed.

I looked at the papers on Friday
And read about Putin's success
In capturing land from Zelensky
And leaving Ukraine in a mess.
Some generals voiced the opinion
That if he proceeds to a rout,
He'll fight NATO countries in Europe,
Which doesn't bear thinking about.

I looked at the papers on Saturday
And saw that Joe Biden may lose
The forthcoming US election –
A prospect that gives me the blues.
You may ask why I should be bothered,
For neither contender is bright,
But Trump has a soft spot for Putin
And admires dictatorial might.

I looked at the papers on Sunday
But gave up on current affairs.
I turned to the sport and the crosswords
To get some relief from my cares.
I saw we had lost in the Test Match,
And my team were knocked out of the Cup;
But as for the crosswords – I solved them,
So things are at last looking up!