What Lies Beneath

 

They promised dreams with flashing lights,

A better world, endless delights.

But beneath the gloss, the jackpots gleam,

The house was built on broken dreams.

Funds meant for aid, they disappeared,

Into shadows, as hope was steered.

Gambling’s gain, the people’s loss,

A rigged roulette, the cruelest cost.

And so we ask, where does it go?

While streets grow colder, sorrow flows.

A lottery won should heal, not harm,

Restore the weary, bring back calm.