TELL THE CHILDREN WE'RE NO GOOD 1 Poem by Leonard Nolens

Tell the children we're no good.
Tell them that we make children at night
And next morning benignly trash them, tell
The son who plays up at table and sings,
Appeasing hunger with ditties, tell him

That we'll empty his mouth of the music,

That we'll drag him down with milk
And thrashings, hard-earned bread and exams.
Tell him his thirst will have to learn manners
From us pygmies, the fathers and mothers.
We call the tune, but make few demands.