Sunday, August 9, 2009

The 10-minute Poem


Today I attended a creative-writing workshop and was asked to write, among others, a poem within 10 minutes. Below is my embarrassingly feeble attempt at poetry.

[Berpeluh beb! Five minutes gone just wondering how to wriggle myself out of this 'trap', two minutes to get my act together after realising I couldn't use the old standby of 'migraine', and three final minutes of desperate scribbling!].

Strangely enough, the first thing that came to my mind was Lillie's (pix above) kitty litter.

Other people wrote about the magnificent owl in the night sky, a telephone conversation between two friends, and daddy's blanket, and all I could come up with was cat poo. I think I have too much crap dwelling in my head (sighh...)


Lillie's Poo

A lapse of just one day
was all it took to make Pa bray
for I had forgotten to empty the litter tray

Preoccupied with work
Lillie's toilet escaped my thought
until a familiar odour surreptitiously wafted

"Cats!" spat Pa contemptuously
"Why didn't they just poo out there in the yard?"

"Because......." soothed Ma patiently
"We live 10 floors up, Pa
And the yard is the big blue sky
That's why... !"




17 comments:

ray said...

Komen Pak Malim, kucing ray yg alim.

Your poem is very impressive, says Pak Malim while holding explosive. p.s Lillie, saya jatuh cinta tengok awak, kata pak Malim sambil memeluk biawak.

mamasita said...

What a fantastic poem!! Ada bakat lah!!

Anonymous said...

Madam,

From pee to poo.

What's up?

Derebar

tireless mom said...

Hi Kak Puteri

I give you an A+ for this poem, bersahaja, instantenous and berpengalaman. Yang last tu I assume because of the RM2 experience for a poo and a pee at Suria KLCC.

mekyam said...

poetic poo... brilliant!

only someone as deft as you can pull this off. ;D

Unknown said...

clap clap clap!!!

love the poo poem!!

so appropriate as a follow up from the pee pee entry!

Naz in Norway said...

Cheeky one, Kak Puteri.
Poo-tastic!! :D

_deli said...

Salam Kak Puteri,

All that in less than tree minutes!
Bravo! Excellent!

See, that's what we get when our mind is stuck in the toilet.

Thank god the poem is posted sans aroma...

Kama At-Tarawis said...

ray oh Lillie masah muda belia, belum pandai tanak nasi la ray, takleh dikawinkan lagi!..:-)

mamasita - kalau yg merapu tu cepat aja pandai, kan?

derebar, TM - indeed, it must hv been the lefovers of 'pee' that created 'poo'. the mind hasn't left the loo, apparently..

Mekyam, Pp, Naz - ok, ok... heaps of thankful poo to you too..LOL

Deli - we can all count ourselves lucky sebab internet belum institute programme for 'bau'.. kalau tidak memang this entry will come with lillie's 'aromatic' offering..:-)

Tommy Yewfigure said...

Hey Puteri,

What’s with these toilet humours {pee & poo} posts lately?

Hope u have not reach my age of having ‘dry dreams’ & ‘wet farts’..sad!

Salam,

Tommy.
P/S -
A is for apple, shiny and green
B is for banana, slightly obscene
C is for coconut, all matted and hairy
D is for date, hot, blind or scary
E is for end, I've got to conclude
Before I reach kumquat
It's much, much too rude!

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Aunty Puteri,
You must go shopping for cat litter with my Mama...with multiple cats in the house, it's tough choosing between the clumping, ordinary clay or synthetic materials. As long as she doesn't use "pasir sungai", we're happy....purrr purrr purrr....

Hazia said...

Hi,
Glad to have finally met you and Kak Teh yesterday. That was a pleasant surprise:)

Kak Teh said...

Puteri, you have read that poetry of yours. My blanket one must have taken everyone by surprise! Anyway, thanks for letting me twist your arms. I enjoyed your company and the lunch and the tea.

Just had lunch with Bergen. It was a surprise meeting.

Kama At-Tarawis said...

tommy - i like your prose, and i think i know what rhymes with kumquat!

cat - Lillie's affairs are handled by her 'mom', my daughter Nawwar. She takes care of almost everything (except cleaning the kitty litter). bab cat poo i jugak yang kena!

hazia - it was such a pleasant surprise to meet you (and chet) at the workshop. when time permits, we shall hv coffee together..

kak teh - yourblanket poem was poignant.. we could feel the underlying sorrow (I could almost smell the tobacco..)

mekyam said...

and i kt, want to read/see/hear that blanket poem too. please, please, pretty please... down duvet smelling of sweatpeas!

Anonymous said...

Aloha,
i had a great laugh. We lives on the 12th floor with 2 cats. If only they know how use the toilet, and flush! :)

Nur Hannah

p.s: i just discovered your blog, i spent hours reading your previous entries, love it.

Kama At-Tarawis said...

Nur hannah - aah,another cat-lover. tq for visiting. am glad you like my inane ramblings..