Childhood Imaginations Poem by Phillip Nine Mafunga

When they first told me that the earth was an orb
My heard grew a knob
Then they told me it spun around on its axis
And that it rotates the sun
I felt so scared and dizzy
Thinking what if it missed the spin
Or what if it went off rail and tipped over

So if the earth hung in space with nothing holding it
What if one day I walked right on its edges and slipped
Would I find myself on another planet?
Or is this the way people go to hell
Yes, hell is where volcanic lava comes from, or is that so
Maybe it is, since they say the belly of the earth is hot and molten
No wonder, God has to pour water from heaven to keep its surface cool and solid

Had always wanted to know the origins of wind
Wondered if wind had any colour at all
Or if they could show me the composition of wind
I marveled at the power it possessed
And the whirlwind looked very creepy
It seemed to be in a hurry to get somewhere
They said it was an angry mermaid on a mission

To me hospitals were baby factories
At least that's what my mom had told me
I was angry with her because every time she would pick a boy
My brother berated her for being late to the hospital all the time
Because we both thought girls were so few, and only the early mothers got them
At least that was a good explanation why mom picked four boys
Maybe dad should go to hospital himself next time

All animals spoke, well, they did in all folklore

25 November 2020