the genie coefficient

Dior poisons me with the high lead content
Hugo captivates me and I sniff around to catch a whiff
Ferragamo tempts me and makes me feel like a pauper

then i walk down the street and order a $6 cake and a $6 coffee.
then i realize the $12 for my tea feeds a family of 3,
living in a one room HDB
for 2 whole meals

then i hear the cry of the poor as i march down the streets of 'too much',
muffled by the bustle of the city.
their demeanor considered unsightly
so they are sidelined, marginalised by society.
their poverty is camouflage to the slums of our minds
and a helping hand is a hard, rare find.

their welfare is nobody's business,
afterall, we're still reeling from a sub prime crisis.
our problems are too big, they won't understand.
if this doesn't go well,
we can't even sustain our chanels.

so we turn a deaf ear and a blind eye,
to their not so silent cry.
we sear our conscience to fend for our comfort,
and add mercilessly to their hurt.
we cry over our korean DVDS
fly out of our geographical boundary to to lend aid
all the while, oblivious to the 3rd world in our very own city state.

we who are rich are truly poverty stricken
eaten by a disease called 'selfish'.
'every man for himself' rules our hearts,
yet we cry out 'one people, one nation, one singapore'
with a merlion's roar.

'no man is an island' applies
but i've learnt that membership to the 'island' is $200k annually.
this island doesn't admit many,
even if you have the money
see, the poor don't have a clue of our woes
they don't see the thorns in our rose.
the greenback is spiralling
and we all feel poor
there is rising inflation
our tomorrows are no longer sure
however, we're completely unaware
that their todays
are in peril