Saturday, January 18, 2014

...even just sleeping in a tree.

This poem I found on the Poetry Foundation site seems to have been written to illustrate the Chesterton quote I put up yesterday.

Everyone Has a House 
What I like about your country
she tells me is the toilets
I wouldn’t mind bringing one home
but it wouldn’t do much good
she says she likes the bathtubs
and the refrigerators
but she is not so crazy
about the tortillas
which are not made properly
or the cilantro which tastes like soap
Also the freeways ruin the landscape
and the children watch television
when they could be playing soccer
and the teenagers stare at their parents
with bare faces that say
give it to me
and the abuelitos are like dogs
to the children
the children walk by with no respect
mangoes here are not so good
not enough rain
and the women here have so many clothes
I think your country has the most wonderful bathrooms
and everyone has a house
although tents would be nicer
I think or boats
or even just sleeping in a tree
My family has a tree
we live under
but the tree has no toilet
I grant you that.

--Kate Gale
 from Fishers of Men. Copyright © 2000 by Kate Gale. Reprinted by permission of Red Hen Press.

3 comments:

Pom Pom said...

That's an excellent poem, GJ!

Lisa Richards said...

Yes, I like her way of looking at things. A tent or sleeping in a tree. Though, alas, it wouldn't work well during a Minnesota winter!:D

Gail @ http://biblelovenotes.com said...

What a fun and profound look at our modern conveniences, and yes, it does illustrate the Chesterton quote well. Makes you think if living under a tree isn't what we're made for, but I do like the bathroom too! : )