Zoning Out
Sitting on the sofa
Sipping fast-cooling tea
Calming stricken nerves
Silencing the cacophony
Scattered thoughts of the shattered mind
Tender heart, once again pierced
Frail courage, reluctantly mustered
Numb excitement, vicariously transmitted
Vivid, cutting to the bone
Placid, resting in the spirit
Sleepful wakeness, the heart’s night
Wakeful sleepiness, the soul’s delight!
Contentment
The person of the land
Worries for today
Tomorrow is too distant
So let the music play
The man works in stops and starts
He hunts to hunger’s pain
He repose when it is time
And trusts in nature’s rain
The lady eyes with watchful gaze
Ancient tradition she strives to keep
She seeks the best for her beloved tribe
In strife, woman does not weep
The children are blessed with plenty
Energy-filled, abandoning care
Full of life, mucking about
Dancing with Danger’s dare
The people and the land
For centuries each other befriend
In union hand in hand
May this mateship never end!
Apology
Who am I to sit and judge?
I who am covered with sores
I who am finite and miniscule
I who am befriend by bores
What right do I have to criticise?
I who have such glaring flaws
I who have limited patience
I who have such scary claws
What possessed me to believe I’m always right?
I who believe in ignoring your cues
I who believe in the tooth fairy
I who believe in shouting my views
Who am I to demand perfection?
I who demand to be understood
I who demand to be listened to
I who demand to be trusted
What led me to think I know better?
I who know I’ve a lot to learn
I who know I’m not an island
I who know I’m not an expert
Who am I to claim knowledge of your feelings?
I who feel frustration
I who feel grief
I who feel helplessness
I will only go by what I see
And I’ve seen your power to sooth
Your power to be strong and steadfast
Your power to recognise what is real truth
The fortieth anniversary of Disney’s Mary Poppins was celebrated this week with the screening of the film to the Australian public. While debate ensues unabated regarding the film’s accuracy in depicting the main character as portrayed by the author P.L. Travers, its popularity with children and adults remain largely unquestioned. That Disney animations are seldom seen as propaganda is perhaps a credit to those who creatively rebel against the status quo in the name of entertainment.
Conservative groups may point to the nanny’s abject neglect of the children’s welfare in various scenes as a prime reason against the values espoused by the main characters of the film, namely: the innate value of listening to one’s children; the steadfast rebellion against the perceived exploitation of corporations in the name of job security; the aggressive promotion of exploration for its own sake; the peaceful resolution of feminism in a patriarchal society. It is the thorn among the roses that catches the eye that is blind to reason and context, yet critical all the same. These groups are partaking in the well-meaning but mistaken crusade of family and state values, which are not under attack here per se; rather it is the manner of implementation that is places under close scrutiny.
The film strikes a leftist chord to my political soul, and unashamedly so. The abrogation of parental responsibility in the name of national duty and productive efficiency is sadly a theme known only too well in modern societies. With the greatest respect to the first Prime Minister of my homeland, being part of a nanny-state is nothing to be proud of – society can be founded on pragmatics such as economic survival, yet it cannot hope to grow beyond embryonic infancy. The next generation is upon us, although the baby-boomers will still attempt to exert considerable political, economic and social influence – to the grave, if need be. The consequences of following in the footsteps of our parents without enlightened wisdom are muted and watered down by those concerned about securing their political futures through empty pronouncements of continued economic productivity in the name of ‘progress’ and a ‘brighter future’.
It would be folly to assume that the impact of their almost religious deference to (governmental) authority and creative sterility would dissipate like steam from a kettle; neither would a blind aversion to the State be healthy for the future of the inhabitants of the little island that is Singapore. How the future would be brighter and more vibrant if the vast majority are merely following societal conventions is beyond my limited understanding at this point in time. Yet I would be very much surprised if the current theme of state intervention in almost all facets of life were modified to include dissent of great significance or substance.
