A Schoolboy's Wishes (English Sonnet) Poem by Gert Strydom

(after Phyllis Leach)

I wish I had the hardened kind of skin
that was far tougher than any shirt,
that with the veldt could melt in,
that did not show any sign of dirt.

I wish I had a jacket as dark as the night
that no kind of thorny fence could every rip,
that could completely take me out of sight
when I do stumble and fall down when I trip

while poaching peaches, I drive the principal mad,
red-handed are caught by him in the very act
and about this He wants to call my mom and dad,
to his office and punishment do take me back.

I wish that I were mature and fully grown
and that I am living on my own.

[Reference: "Timothy's wishes" by Phyllis Leach.]

© Gert Strydom