Foreign Advantage

Not being native
To the country
Or experienced
With how things
Have always been,
I tend to see
Possibilities that locals
Just can’t see.
Perhaps the residents
Have let themselves
Become jaded
After having seen
So many good ideas
Shot down by reality,
That they no longer believe
Anything can be done.
I, on the other hand, am not
So easily convinced
That change is impossible,
That the limitations
Others around me
Take for granted
Are, in fact, real.
I find a distinct advantage
To not being indoctrinated
With the intransigence
Of local bureaucracy,
Weighed down
With pessimism regarding
The apathy of the people,
Or the burdened with concerns
About the economy.
I perceive a wealth
Of amazingly lucrative
Business opportunities
And need to act
Before I too become
Disillusioned by local reality.