My childhood rebellion
Was at the shops sneaking
Refreshers, chewits, a curly wurly
To my mother’s fury
All of this was banned
Our nutrition neatly planned
Mum campaigned, no sweets at checkouts
Our lunch box got no shout outs
Penguin bars only on Fridays
Chocolate if we were good on Sundays
The shops were a pass
If we were naughty at mass
And now I’m a sugar fiend
Ice- cream is my wet dream
They’ve got us hooked on sugar
That our bodies never should of
Learned how to process
The food chain is a mess.
Our kitchen had a yellowing poster
Telling us how much sugar
In our food, how companies
Are our bodies enemies
All brought to you by slavery.
Children in the cane fields
Nasty chemicals boosting yields
To bring westerns sweeties
And early on-set diabetics
Imagine a world with no exploitation
No cheap affordable Playstation
But maybe there’ld be time for hugs
Feeling fresh air in your lungs
Cause our luxury
Has a cost we see
The child sold into slavery
The capitalist barbarity
This worship of money
It’s worth more to be free
Catherine Brogan 