Best Poem Ever

This is a poem by my Punchi Amma, Roni, while she was at Musaeus. One thing I love about Achchi’s house is the archival reading material. There are issues of Life and Readers Digest from the 50s, which are really fun to read. Was reading a 90s one about Japan taking over. This poem is from a Musaeus journal that we found.

But I Didn’t Have Money To Pay

I went in a car to London
I saw a milk bar
I went in to the milk bar
I drank a bottle of milk

But my stomach was not yet full
And I ate a piece of chocolate cake
Yet my stomach was not full
So I ate a big bun
At last my stomach was full

I put my hand in my pocket
Alas there was no money
I had eaten a lot of things
But I didn’t have money to pay

Everybody loved it. Specially reading now that Punchi is grown up and gots little Anouka running around. I honestly like poetry that is simple and not self-conscious, written by kids or not. One of the values I see in art is that it shows you what life is like for other people, and sometimes it’s good to just say it. This might be pushing it, but the poem reminds me of the Third World experience. We can see all this good stuff, and sometimes we help ourselves, but we got no money to pay.

Posted on Sunday, May 1st, 2005 in Poetry, Sri Lanka.

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1 Comment »

Flicker
2005-05-10 21:47:16

I must agree. It is amazing, when we are kids we don’t really worry about the big picture, it is what is important at that moment that matters. Children really live in a wonderful space and time which makes life so much more simple.

Enter adulthood and all the simple aspects of life just leave us I guess that is why it is best to always keep the child inside us alive.

And yes, simple poetry really is a good read!

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