More — or less?

Cherry

By Rhiannonw

Wed, 27 Nov 2024
  • 140 reads
6 comments
 

Oliver Twist came some kids to meet,
to ask if they’d had enough to eat …
“Oh, yes,” they said, “We couldn’t eat more
but it’s hard to choose, there’s choices galore.
We get tired of this, fed up with that,
and somehow we’re all getting a little too fat.
And some things we like they say are too sweet,
and that we should want more fruit, veg and meat.”

‘Do you ever get hungry and have to wait
with empty tum, and empty plate?
Are you ever cold as you run and play?’
“We’re mostly indoors in the warm all day,
with games and friends and films on screen,
and snacks to nibble inbetween.”

‘How odd,’ thought Oliver, ‘I was wiry and tough
even when I never had enough!’

[IP: a conversation with a character from fiction]

 

Certificate U
Poem
Families
Philosophy
Humour
Inspiration Point (work that responds to our weekly writing cue)

Comments

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

From one end of the scale to the other. Apparently the height disparity in Victorian England between rich and poor children was huge

 

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Yes, though now the problem of so much available and not wanting to order the choices, and reinforcing light dislikes (not negating some real difficult dislikes) and concerns over safety outside has made for confused eating and sometimes lack of exercise and fresh air etc. Rhiannon

 

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

We need something in the middle!

 

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Thank you for the cherries. Rh

 

Submitted by Tom Brown on

Have you Rhiannon? "Do you ever get hungry and have to wait with empty tum, and empty plate?" Went to bed hungry? Then you would understand, “half an egg is better than an empty shell”.

There are many people here facing starvation. We have to give the kids food at school, there is terrible need. Tom

 

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Of course I understand terrible need in many places, and sometimes in the miidst of what seems like so much plenty all around. Causes somewhat different to OliverTwist's day probably.

But there are the problems when children have too much available, but get confused by having so much choice, and choosing rather badly - over much of the sweet etc - and the pull of time 'on screen', with their electonic gadgets, and not so much opportunity to be out running around in games and exploration as there used to be. Rhiannon