Poetry : Building the nation, by Henry Barlow

Most people don't take time to read poems unless  a poem is recomended by someone else, well i guess i get to be that person today. In my perspective, this is by far one of the most on-point poems i have ever read. Barlow hit every sarcastic point he made straight on the head.

Building The Nation

                                            By Henry Barlow

Today I did my share
In building the nation.
I drove a Permanent Secretary
To an important urgent function
In fact to a lunch at the Vic.
The menu reflected its importance
Cold bell beer with small talk,
Then fried chicken with niceties
Wine to fill the hollowness of the laughs
Ice-cream to cover the stereotype jokes
Coffee to keep the PS awake on return journey.
I drove the Permanent Secretary back.
He yawned many times in back of the car
Then to keep awake, he suddenly asked,
Did you have any lunch friend?
I replied looking straight ahead
And secretly smiling at his belated concern
That I had not, but was slimming!
Upon which he said with seriousness
That amused more than annoyed me,
Mwanainchi, I too had none!
I attended to matters of state.
Highly delicate diplomatic duties you know,
And friend, it goes against my grain,
Causes me stomach ulcers and wind.
Ah, he continued, yawning again,
The pains we suffer in building the nation!
So the PS had ulcers too!
My ulcers I think are equally painful
Only they are caused by hunger,
Not sumptuous lunches!
So two nation builders
Arrived home this evening
With terrible stomach pains
The result of building the nation -
- Different ways.

END

  The under-dog in the poem, is clear, he's the chauffer.

 This poem is  a political satire, though you may find abit of social satire depending particular character or aspect of the Permanent Secretary's life caught your attention the most.Imagery, euphemism, metaphors,1st person narration and diction act as the icing to the bitter cake. First you sense a bit of pride in the chauffeur, then you realize its a mockery of his life, then it turns comic to the point of no return.
 In a nutshell Henry Barlow and the mysterious chauffeur deserve the credit due, this poem a wonderful  piece of literature that deserves more credit than it has been given.