Hala Bira!

Painted faces hide collective grimace,
Humiliation, hunger and pain,
A daily fare in their burdened existence;
But the festive antiphon kept resounding,
Hala Bira!
In articulated primordial scream
Bare feet stomping dusty pavements
To the beat of poorly constructed drums
With all their breaths a chorused cry
Hala Bira!
Prodding into numbness exhausted souls
Searching for relief in hypnotic mantra
Of a well rehearsed festive antiphon
Hala Bira!
The noisy procession left no
Impressions of their intentions,
But frustrations and rage found a voice;
Their feet stomping dusty pavements
To the beat of the festive antiphon
Hala Bira!