The Silly Box Poem by Shankaran Kutty

It is not without reason
That I think it is close to treason
To have at home
And it is almost the norm
This idiot box
To which every child flocks
Whether night or day
There is escape, no way

In every sense
It insults my intelligence
For it is the serials they care about
And never go out
I wish they would fight
Or hold each other tight
Maul each other
At least talk to one another

I have tried in vain
To keep my kids sane
Used up every trick
The carrot and the stick
But I am at the end of my wit
For they are still stuck to it
What more can I do
Other than break it into two

There is no time to talk
Or a walk in the park
They have forgotten to think
In front of it, they eat and drink
Seeing it they laugh and weep
Or sometimes there itself they sleep
How I wish I had been
Born in an era before this idiot screen

They call it education
But my main consternation
And this, I do really dread
That imagination is dead
In a world of make believe
Do they today live
The half naked beauty and gorgeous hunk
How much more should I suffer this junk

One day my niece
Told me this piece
Uncle please say
By what magical way
Did you survive
And stay alive
For you say when you were born
There was no TV to turn on “

I told her “My dear
Those days our minds were clear
In the burning sun
Playing was fun
Cricket and football
Replaced this box on the wall
And it is only after the sun set
Returned home drenched in sweat “

She looked so fazed
And looked at me amazed
And burst into laughter
As if I grew on Jupiter
And it was then I realized
If we want our kids to be civilized
And as sensible children grow
This idiot box should go out the window