ahfong & i came running from hopscotch
image by dsnake1
Growing up in a village unfettered by revision books and good school grades, nothing seems to bother us kids.Tomorrow is always another day of adventure, running around the rat warrens of the slum in a game of "police and thieves", overturning laundry hung out to dry on bamboo poles, and crashing into baskets and crates along the way. Sometimes things got so hot there are punch-ups, little fists smacking into faces, but animosity is always forgotten the next day, and all are friends again.
Delirium was when your pet fighting spider defeated your opponent's one. You kept the little brute in a tin cigarette box and slept with it in the night.
This poem tries to describe the carefree times i once had.
ahfong & i came running from hopscotch
==================================
ahfong & i came running from hopscotch
and plucking berries
ran our faces
under gushing taps
of public pipes
dinner's ready
mother hollered
from our shanty
ahfong & i came running from washing
and plucking wet diamonds
to our dining table
an up-turned wooden crate
two plates
hot rice
baked ikan bilis
& boiled veggies
of course
mysister & i played with the food
throwing bits
to the chickens
digging around the dust
at our feet
little imps
mother hollered
from within
as the sun slanted over rusty zinc roofs
rays glancing off metal edges
bathing innocence in golden tones
19.10.05
********
posted by dsnake1 at 8:45 PM
12 Comments:
mebbe not so much of village or slums etc... but i had my fun when i was a kid... playing and not worrying a thing. Didn't even know what PSLEs are abt, what they are for and how important... so naturally didn't study for them.... kekeke that was fun....
wonder how i managed to pass them though... kekeke
it's strange, some of us who never seem to study somehow have good grades. :)
beautifully put
i liked it because it was such a different setting
- but so similar to my own childhood
thank you
>>it's strange, some of us who never seem to study somehow have good grades. :)
and some of us are forced to study and restricted from play and yet one's grades are always just-pass. My father's theory didn't work. Of course, naturally it was my fault.. *rolls eyes*
Nice poem, dsnake.
floots,
glad you like the poem! i guess most of us have childhoods that are about the same : fun, care-free, forgiving. :)
liz,
thanks!
"Of course, naturally it was my fault.. "heheh!
Simple and nice, Dsnake.
thanks, gilbert!
hey there
i really like your work here
i myself once wrote a longer poem titled "six urban pastorals." i really appreciate your urban themes.
hi blog this,
thanks for your comments.
you have an interesting blog yourself.
i like! tho i dun have tat kinda memories.... cos i was quiet and obedient and always home [when i was a KID lah]... but tat's wat my mum yelled to my brothers tho: "come back eat rice lah!!" hehhee....
as for studying, my dad's theory: cannot keep forcing her to study, must play... wait she stress, go into exam hall go blank how? or worse, she go crazy how?" there was a kid in my brother's class who did, at P2. scared the hell outta my dad....
The more we are different, the more we are the same. Thanks for sharing some of your childhood innocence. I truly enjoyed this poem.
patry,
"The more we are different, the more we are the same."
How true.
Thank you.
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