What do kids value these days? Their iPads? iPhones? Skateboards? Pillow pets? DS? Really, I could go on about it.
But do they know there are thousands of kids out there who value something so small that most people just throw away?
Inanimate Object
a battered, old thing
fished out of the trash
no holes, that’s good
it can hold cash
on a rainy day
fresh water to catch
and in the river
a scooper for a bath
most precious possession
priceless tin can
Day 8 of 2013 November PAD challenge.
It’s no secret. Street children will do anything to earn money, no matter how hard (or dangerous), to survive. I remember seeing these kids everywhere in Manila…
Photo Credit: http://trinitychildrenshome.com/photos/
Hardship
I’ve reached the bottom
The worst part
I’m not alone
See my cart
Filled with invisible, heavy stones
It is my livelihood
I push it everyday
Through the streets
Come what may
On my sore little feet
Each bottle equals money
Plastic, glass, or tin
Small or super-sized too
In my cart they all go in
All day it’s all I do
A simple transaction
Get paid a small fraction
To buy a tiny portion
Of bits I could fashion
Into something I call “food.”
Day 7 of 2013 November PAD challenge.
Back in the Philippines, it is very common to see a security guard standing outside the doors of malls, stores, and restaurants. They open and close the doors for customers. But more importantly, they keep both suspicious characters and homeless people out. It’s all about images in the business, you know.
Perspective
oh my asthma
so much air pollution
why can’t I work inside
open, close
infernal doors!
am I Saint Peter?
and those pesky rats
always trying to sneak in
filthy and stinky
bothersome pests
ruining the image
of our prestigious store
a new group
every night
they pick this spot
a sleeping swarm
every morning
I wake them up
and shoo!
shoo!
get out of here!
the store is opening!
oh my asthma
why do I work here?
With no home or parental care, street children sleep together for warmth and protection.
© 2005 Marcus Bleasdale
Day 6 of 2013 November PAD challenge.
In the city of Manila, I remember always seeing kids go from car to tourists to jeepneys and people coming out of churches with strings of Sampaguitas in their little hands. As a kid, sometimes it made me scared to talk to them. Other times, I wished I had money so I could buy some from them – at the very least, because I loved the smell of those tiny, white, fragrant flowers…
Day 5 of 2013 November PAD challenge.
Conceal / Unconceal
Ma’am, please buy some flowers
They’re lovely, you see?
And smell them!
They smell like heaven!
Please?
Even one would be good
My mom, you see
She’s terribly sick
And my dad has run away
My little brother right here
Hasn’t eaten for days
And my baby sister
is in need of milk
and…
Really?!
You’ll buy them all?
Thank you, Ma’am!
God bless you, Ma’am!
My family thanks you, Ma’am!
one peso…
five pesos…
ten pesos…
twenty pesos…
Here you go, Boss!
I did good today, right?
Can I have my dinner now please?
And can I play after that?
Thanks, Boss!
I’ll be good tomorrow too
Just wait and see
And you won’t even have to beat me
I’ll meet my quota
And maybe more
Just please
Don’t beat me
Don’t beat me
Anymore
Please…
Poetic Ponderings 