Precious As It Is
 

Broiled by the searing heat
As crops wither and begin to spoil
Famine spreads through barren soil
Petulance prevails, as innocence is lost
Consumed by fire but what is the cost

Ripped by the savages
Torn by the ravages of war

For what is rhyme or reason
Call it treason if you will
There’s no trill behind suppression
When you’re lost to indiscretion

Dignity before dishonour
Is it spent on foolish squalor
Call it what you will
But it is death before dishonour
Even if some say that this is honour

Slavery is not a term by which we wed
Nor should it be the shackle around our leg
Life is precious in its web
And should never hang
By liberty thread