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Superb!
Written by Katanga (804 comments posted) 12th May 2008 |
Ha! Ha! Ha! Just brilliant!
Reminds me of when I was a child, soing out at night with my father armed with a torch, to engage in an activity known as 'snail-stamping' - a rather different sort of 'Crunch crunch crunch'!
Trouble is, I'm rather fond of snails - in fact I looked after a giant one for a primary school during their Christmas holidays.
What a responsibility!
Keep 'em coming!
John |
Written by Josie (2535 comments posted) 13th May 2008 |
| Thanks John. It is strange but it seems that more people like the first poem of these connected poems. I must ask Mia if she thinks this is too gruesome for younger children. It was just meant to be funny, and considering children talk about monsters and dinosaurs and have laughed at my dinosaur dinner when one dinosaur ate all the others, I wouln't have thought it was. I must do some "market research" ha ha. I'm going to a school soon near here. I'll ask the older children first. |
A bit gruesome!
Written by beatricelouise (205 comments posted) 15th May 2008 |
That's my opinion. Sorry about that, but that is how I felt when I read it.
It's kind of hard to write for children. I think if you didn't use the words kill, and dead bodies, but chose some words less devastating, it might be wiser. I hope you don't get hurt over this. The poem is great otherwise. |
Corpses?
Written by Katanga (804 comments posted) 16th May 2008 |
How about 'corpses' instead of 'dead bodies'?
Actually, it wouldn't scan so well...
Nor would 'cadavers', but it would get the children to use a dictionary!
Ha! Ha!
Sorry Josie - you know I love this poem - couldn't resist a joke . . .
Cheers!
John |
To Beatricelouise
Written by Josie (2535 comments posted) 16th May 2008 |
| Hello. Don't worry. It is not half as gruesome as many of the children's television programmes that they watch. Have you seen them? Have you seen the computer games that they play? I have read these two poems to the children and they just laughed and went off to their break. For many of them, they see their parents putting down blue pellets for slugs and snails. They see flies swatted and greenfly sprayed. Children, even from five years of age, wouldn't give you a thank you for fluffly wuffy bunny stories. Ask them their favourite topic and it is usually monsters - and dinosaurs are another one. When I read them Dinosaur Dinner which is also as bit gruesome as he eats his friends, they all laughed and wanted more. Thanks John, glad you are having a laugh. Perhaps beer is too good for slugs and snails??? |
Written by rui (150 comments posted) 16th May 2008 |
I don't think this is gruesome. I think for children (and I can almost remember being a child) that boys rather enjoy gruesome with cheering while girls enjoy gruesome by pretending to be horrified. I was expecting some crunching, stamping and throwing. I don't understand what beer has to do with snails!  |
Snail Beer!
Written by Katanga (804 comments posted) 16th May 2008 |
Hi Rui!
Snails attracted by the smell of beer. Why, I don't know.
So, to get rid of snails you put a 'beer trap' in the garden overnight and they fall in, get drunk and drown.
Sounds nasty, but it's an awful lot kinder than those evil blue slug pellets.
Have you ever watched a slug writhe in agony for half an hour as the chemical burns slowly into it's body, literally dissolving its flesh?
Now that really IS gruesome! |
Written by Josie (2535 comments posted) 16th May 2008 |
| John, I was just about to tell Rui the same thing. Yes, you are absolutely right. I hate the blue pellets. You see the poor things going round in circles and their insides are burnt alive with poison. It is well known that you dig a little hole and put a container with some beer in it. They just fall in and drown very quickly. Next to letting them eat all your expensive plants and your lettuce etc, it is the kindest thing to do. Children aren't upset at all. They are more interested in monsters killing each other (or dinosaurs as in my poem). In the natural world killing is normal. I've just had two mother ducks on my lawn. Mother and last year's daughter. Mother is the dominant duck. She doesn't want her daughter to take over the lake. She marched over to her daughter head down and drove her away from her tiny new ducklings. Then she grabbed one of them and killed it. It is not the first time she's done it. Her daughter's young have gone down from 12 to only 4 at the moment. Now to kill your own grandchildren: that is gruesome! |
Gracious!
Written by Katanga (804 comments posted) 16th May 2008 |
How horrid! Mind you, I'm sure there's a poem or cautionary tale in there somewhere!
BTW I wonder if snails like red wine? I don't have any beer in the house!
Ho!
Cheers!
John |
Written by rui (150 comments posted) 16th May 2008 |
Ah thank you both, I shall have to tell JB about this trick. The snails here seem to know not to eat the blue pills and have devastated the spinach, xin cai and jiu cai.
In our hometown we get used to the idea of killing for food rather early. Most families keep either a pig, or ducks, or chickens, and they don't end up on the plate without a little blood being spilled. |
Nice
Written by fornwalt (4 comments posted) 1st June 2008 |
This poem is really funny, in my personal opinion. :P It's like, the gardener is all, "Ha ha ha, I got you all! I'm a big bad guy!" and all he killed are snails... XD Not that I don't love snails, but we don't really have them where I live, so I find it hard to connect to them. 
Good work, here. I especially like how in the beginning he's really going to murder someone--I got the impression of a thief--and then finding out that it's only snails makes this poem very good. It's a nice turn of events.  |
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