Cholera Laughed

By Eugene Jang
10th grade, Gyeonggi Suwon International School, South Korea
2nd place contest winner

With lines from "In Yemen, Corruption Worsened World's Worst Cholera Outbreak" by Maggie Michael, a Pulitzer Center reporting project

Cholera laughed and spat
In your face when you
Refused vaccines
To be delivered and when you
Skimmed off money
For treatment and when you
Watched a 4-day old baby
Die in your care
Cholera laughed

As the helpless aid worker
Tried to explain:
The Houthis and
The Government of Yemen
Were trying to politicize cholera
Cholera laughed, because
She doesn't discriminate
Man based on race,
Geographical location, or
Political affiliation

Cholera still laughs, as she is
Lurking silently within the waters you
Drink, and the waters your children
Drink, and the waters the Houthis
Drink, and the waters the Government drinks

Tomorrow morning as you
Sip a cup of water and
Quench your conflicted heart
Set your pride aside and choose to
Lay your guns down, because
Cholera still laughs.

Eugene Jang is a rising 11th grade student at an international school in South Korea. Eugene was born in Korea and raised in Chile. She has a budding interest in journalism.

Read more winning entries from the 2019 Fighting Words Poetry Contest