'you are so good to me'
he said
overwhelmed with gratitude
at what seems generous to him
his little plastic bag containing
a few teabags
sugar sachets
soap
a bottle of rinso
cough mixture
a half pack of cheese
crackers
a carton of yoghurt
an almost empty bottle of perfume
toothpaste
a magnum ice cream
2 lemons
an apple
this was my choice
to give it to him
rather than bin it
his choice is to
take the leftovers
or
starve
he does not have the luxury
living as a consequence
of smugly chosen choices
making smart decisions
he has nothing
only smiles
I think there are many instances where the notion of choice does not arise, especially in moments of insanity or immense physical/psychological compulsion. One must cherish the moments when we do have an insight into choosing who we are and might be, given such conditions where human lives have little leeway in that regard.
ReplyDeleteI agree...some humans have little leeway in this regard Charles. Of course in our culture it is insulting to offer this potential refuse to anyone, but in other cultures it is a life saving gesture received with gratitude.
ReplyDeleteLack of Choice concerning immense physical or psychological ompulsion could be regarded as a form of insanity. In some cultures it is regarded as black magic.Do not let anyone touch your hair Charles. That is how it is transmitted to the male:)
there are plenty of people that have little choice in their position in life....and you know sometimes anything helps....it is humbling to be in that position...
ReplyDeleteinteresting bit in your comments on the black magic transferred by hair too...
Same as Brian- this poem illustrates so well he lack of choice some people have...drives me mad when people can be so judgmental about people when they don't understand, or have no idea, about their situation. Love the simplicity of this piece - tackling the issue without the needing to be 'flowered up'- just says it like it is.... I also really like the close- 'he has nothing, only smiles'- at east there are some things that can't be taken away from us eh?
ReplyDeletei like the sensitivity with that you capture this...says much about you...and there are too many people that have no choice...well penned
ReplyDelete