Hobson's Choice Poem by Mark Heathcote

Watching TV ads for charity
Somewhere in the world, a donkey is going lame.
A zoo animal going -hungry.
A dancing bear in a cage
A penguin without an ice sheet
Somewhere in the world, there is a child without clean water.
A woman with schizoid mania chasing elusive healing shadows
A man battling malaria, an infant with pneumonia
A cat needing rescue, a dog treated cruelly
Somewhere in the world, there is a clinic researching cancer.
Or a pensioner with arthritis or Alzheimer's
Not getting anywhere near adequately looked after
Watching TV ads for charity is Hobson's choice.
'Take it or leave it'—it's Hobson's choice.
'Take it on Trust' The Salvation Army -they're the very best…
There are disaster appeals everywhere all year long.
Motor Neurone Disease Appeals
Donate now; save lives. Appeals
All I know is at times
There isn't any difference.
Every crisis is just a twist to loosen your purse strings and your tears.
Make you want to save the world.
Save your own -kind.
But to be quite honest so many of them are driving me crazy.
It's a Hobson's choice; do what appeals to you.
But leave me alone to savour every miserly penny I own.
And in these sentiments, I'm sure I'm not alone.
I want to live in an ad-free zone.