Thursday, July 3, 2008

Gambling Debts

 

dad

there's nothing else in the fridge I can cook

no rice left in the house, in vain I did look

yesterday we got a red bill for electricity

and whatever happened to your salary?

 

some rough-looking strangers came a calling

riding their bikes loudly and hollering

that was way past midnight while you slept

I was shaking and scared but I only wept

 

a broken brick on the window crashed

dripping red paint they also splashed

on the front door and all over the porch

and our rickety old Datsun they tried to torch

 

dad

who are these people who do such deeds?

will they stop doing it if we go out and plead?

what football bets were they yelling about?

didn't you hear them that they had to shout?

 

the landlord talked about the rent, my bus fare's due

the sundry shop man wanted to speak to you

the flour, sugar and milk I wanted, he didn't give

what happens to us now, how will we live?

 

dad

answer me, please say something...dad?

 

15 comments:

  1. Ah, debt. Can't live with it, can't live without it. One of those things that makes a monastic's life look seriously attractive. You own nothing and you owe nothing. You can spend all day reading the scriptures, contemplate, clear your mind and help others clear their minds. Be an island of tranquility while the sea boils around you with tortured souls. But why is it so hard to give up that which gets us into trouble.

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  2. Choice.
    We started off (probably all the way from Adam, if you believe) always wanting to make our own choices, face our own challenges, and live the way we want to live even if it kills us.
    A gamble is a challenge against the odds. Foolishly some keep going at it even after getting knocked down time after time, and the loan sharks come a calling. Sweetly enticed, they fall into the trap. Then the nightmares begin...

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  3. That confirms my theory then: man is born with a stupid gene. In the big scheme of things, perhaps wiring in this self-destruct mechanism is one of the smartest things mother nature has ever done for its own self preservation.

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  4. Agree, but for humans with brains, I suggest replacing 'stupid' with 'foolish'. In spite of clearly knowing the hazards they head for the bright lights.
    Stupid, I think, is more suitable for describing a bug's life. That's more for population control.

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  5. Saw a documentary once where they said the cockroach will survive long after humans are extinct. I guess superior brains don't always guarantee longevity, which is another way of saying Mr Stupid can beat Mr Foolish at the species level (might our emotions and "free will" be the trigger that'll do us in?). Talking about bright lights, reminds me of my 1st serious girlfriend, a simple country girl whom I lost to the bright city lights. Come to think of it she behaved like a moth. The lights burned her in the end. We live and die by our own choices. Except when we believe some other being is making those choices for us.

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  6. Mr stupid may defeat Mr foolish only because he depends on instinct which is instantaneous, while Mr foolish works out his trial and error ideas. If Mr foolish survives, he'll be back with another game plan. That explains why some homes are free of pesky cockroaches.
    Sorry to hear about your country girl. If you meet another one like her, get her dark sunglasses.

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  7. for me i dont feel comfortable abt being in debt except for like big unavoidable items like property n vehicles. btw flyfisher latest post is a guest blogger. :) like to guest blog on mine too ? jus once? talk abt retirement?

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  8. how?

    Now I understand where that llama and the sheriff came from... USA? right?

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  9. he is from a laid back place i think Ohio i am not sure it is a lovely home fronting the river. he has relatives in Sibu hence the connection with mylongkang

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