Sunday, June 01, 2008
If I Were A Poem
It would be these two. ^^ (Yeah I know the title says "A" Poem, but I had to include both. I think both of them speak volumes about who I was, who I am, and who I'm going to be)
Where the Sidewalk Ends There is a place where the sidewalk ends
And before the street begins,
And there the grass grows soft and white,
And there the sun burns crimson bright,
And there the moon-bird rests from his flight
To cool in the peppermint wind.
Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black
And the dark street winds and bends.
Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow
We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And watch where the chalk-white arrows go
To the place where the sidewalk ends.
Yes we'll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And we'll go where the chalk-white arrows go,
For the children, they mark, and the children, they know
The place where the sidewalk ends.
- Shel Silverstein Television The most important thing we've learned,
So far as children are concerned,
Is never, NEVER, NEVER let
Them near your television set --
Or better still, just don't install
The idiotic thing at all.
In almost every house we've been,
We've watched them gaping at the screen.
They loll and slop and lounge about,
And stare until their eyes pop out.
(Last week in someone's place we saw
A dozen eyeballs on the floor.)
They sit and stare and stare and sit
Until they're hypnotised by it,
Until they're absolutely drunk
With all that shocking ghastly junk.
Oh yes, we know it keeps them still,
They don't climb out the window sill,
They never fight or kick or punch,
They leave you free to cook the lunch
And wash the dishes in the sink --
But did you ever stop to think,
To wonder just exactly what
This does to your beloved tot?
IT ROTS THE SENSE IN THE HEAD!
IT KILLS IMAGINATION DEAD!
IT CLOGS AND CLUTTERS UP THE MIND!
IT MAKES A CHILD SO DULL AND BLIND
HE CAN NO LONGER UNDERSTAND
A FANTASY, A FAIRYLAND!
HIS BRAIN BECOMES AS SOFT AS CHEESE!
HIS POWERS OF THINKING RUST AND FREEZE!
HE CANNOT THINK -- HE ONLY SEES!
'All right!' you'll cry. 'All right!' you'll say,
'But if we take the set away,
What shall we do to entertain
Our darling children? Please explain!'
We'll answer this by asking you,
'What used the darling ones to do?
'How used they keep themselves contented
Before this monster was invented?'
Have you forgotten? Don't you know?
We'll say it very loud and slow:
THEY ... USED ... TO ... READ! They'd READ and READ,
AND READ and READ, and then proceed
To READ some more. Great Scott! Gadzooks!
One half their lives was reading books!
The nursery shelves held books galore!
Books cluttered up the nursery floor!
And in the bedroom, by the bed,
More books were waiting to be read!
Such wondrous, fine, fantastic tales
Of dragons, gypsies, queens, and whales
And treasure isles, and distant shores
Where smugglers rowed with muffled oars,
And pirates wearing purple pants,
And sailing ships and elephants,
And cannibals crouching 'round the pot,
Stirring away at something hot.
(It smells so good, what can it be?
Good gracious, it's Penelope.)
The younger ones had Beatrix Potter
With Mr. Tod, the dirty rotter,
And Squirrel Nutkin, Pigling Bland,
And Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle and-
Just How The Camel Got His Hump,
And How the Monkey Lost His Rump,
And Mr. Toad, and bless my soul,
There's Mr. Rate and Mr. Mole-
Oh, books, what books they used to know,
Those children living long ago!
So please, oh please, we beg, we pray,
Go throw your TV set away,
And in its place you can install
A lovely bookshelf on the wall.
Then fill the shelves with lots of books,
Ignoring all the dirty looks,
The screams and yells, the bites and kicks,
And children hitting you with sticks-
Fear not, because we promise you
That, in about a week or two
Of having nothing else to do,
They'll now begin to feel the need
Of having something to read.
And once they start -- oh boy, oh boy!
You watch the slowly growing joy
That fills their hearts. They'll grow so keen
They'll wonder what they'd ever seen
In that ridiculous machine,
That nauseating, foul, unclean,
Repulsive television screen!
And later, each and every kid
Will love you more for what you did.
- Roald Dahl I really really cannot express how grateful I am and will ever be to my parents, who nurtured my love for books, and fuelled the flames so that I could read tales about King Arthur and his Court, Puss in Boots, Naughty Amelia Jane, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Silver Brumby, The Spotted Pony, Thumbelina, Wishbone Mysteries, His Dark Materials, Thumbelina, The Hungry Caterpillar and so much so much so much more.
I think my parents gave me the world when they gave me books. And someday, if ever I have children, nieces or nephews, I hope I can pass this limitless universe on to them as well.
I loved the times I spent
at the sidewalk's end,
where I'd fly my kites,
and make my friends.
Now
No more free kuti kuti
from that friendly canteen lady
No more bee hoon 放 curry
Or hopskotch 1 2 3
No more waterbottle string
or marikita to sing
Want to visit Mrs Lim
(Only prefects can go in)
No more happy teacher's day
No more recorder to play
Look Up Lift Up assembly
排队两排不要急
Fire drill last time so fun
Don't need learn maths -- "Cannot run!"
Ballet class forgot bring shoe
升级 then 'I don't friend you'
Children's Day give chocolate coin
(naughty go and feed the koi)
PE T-shirt must tuck in
Sharpen pencil near the bin
Monitress must wipe chalk board
Run in hallway kena caught
"Register number 33,
Dental checkup" (heng! not me!)
听写 never learn Orh hor!
Sports Day cheer until 过火
Glasses big and body small
Those were days I had it all
What's left now I cannot say
A faint echo fades away
I look back at what was me
Truly, truly...
I was:
FREE.
...is what I said. Savvy?
12:31 am
friends
June 2006