Poetic-Verses
BROOM MERCY
JOY SUN
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. HANDSOME II, THE HANGMAN OF CALTON
2. SELLING SAND
3. MUD TUMMY ALMOST KILLS A BOY
4. FRUIT MATTER
5. GEZOB LOSES HIS EYE
6. THE TRAGEDY AT SAMUEL, THE SMALL HEAD'S PREMISES
7. GLAD CHARGE: THE ARM AND LEG-BREAKING SCHOOL
8. HARLOT BAY
1
I had just moved with my uncle from New York to live somewhere in Africa. The place was called Calton. His name was Dallon's Winter who was both the Education Commissioner and the hangman of Calton. The premises was located at #12 Luketon, Fulston, Calton and was owned by one Elton Light, in the days of King Arrowsbear of Kobikoko and King Adolifighter of Fulston. Winter was the most handsome man I set my eyes on. The people of Calton called him Handsome II after his father just because of how handsome he was. He had four cars: a Peugeot, a Mitsubishi, a Volkswagen and a Toyota. Winter did his work assiduously and was committed to the government of Africa. He lived with just me and his wife, Tarngarines. Winter had chosen this place to mask himself as both Commissioner of Education and the hangman of Calton.
Later on, his wife, Tarngarines, brought in another boy called Oquex, but whom the other children called Mud tummy. It was later found Mud tummy was her son for another man. He was a highly destructive boy, although I never allowed his influences get on me with a water-tight compartmentability.
In the day, we went to school while Winter would be at work with his wife, then return in the evening. He was an astute and extremely wise man and had no time for Christianity as practiced by the Africans. He did his work alone and had no friends. As hangman, he would as I noticed, always shut himself whenever he wanted to draft the hang sentence, which he wrote with his left hand with a red biro as an ambidexter. Usually, he allowed nobody into the room when he did this except me. Also, our home was full of books, both in Psychology, Medicine, Government and other fields. One in particular, was called LAND LORD AND TENANTS.
The Children of this premises and those who always came around from Luketon were lose and untrained, and ended up living wildly and were destructive. Added to this was the fact that their parents treated them wildly, often adopting pensive corrective measures. One such was done by Mr. Bracks, Dozens and Ordinary's father who beat his children with bunches of broom and firewoods. Whenever Dozens and Ordinary committed a crime, we children would shout "Broom mercy" while he handled them mercilessly. Also, Ordinary's poor English, "Lupick (repeat) the ball" which he used while playing football is something I would never forget. All the Children included: Dozens, the large toother who was the terrorist of the yard, his brother Ali whom the Children called Ordinary, Samuel, the small head, Alibert, Ident, Sinsi, Gezob, the swearer, Fulont, Mud tummy, Odens, who could flip 99 times and go lie like a dead man. Rose Queen, Alili, Hose, Batibati and Finsh were girls.
2
Although it was against the law of Calton, elderly and young men sold sand packed from the corroded roads of Calton whenever it rained. There were no gutters and most of the roads were not coated with bitumen, leading to more erosion, a problem the government of the day combatted with so often and ferociously. The penalty was twelve years imprisonment. And I knew. One day after school, in the absence of our parents, Mud tummy had gone to sell sand. I told him I would tell "Sir", the way we called my uncle. He threatened to beat me and went away. He however came back with a bundle of money too big for him to handle at his age. He would soon get into flirting with girls and had gonorrhea. Sharing the money with his peers always brought trouble with boys like Dozens, Alibert and Gezob, who in particular would often swear with the words "By the White God". He was however, a sharp boy. The local government authority of where we lived were out arresting men and boys who sold sand once. They pretended and came in the guise of sand buyers, but used a local government truck on which was clearly written "LOCAL GOVERNMENT AUTHORITY OF FULSTON". Funnily, most of the men and boys were illiterate and never knew how to read, but Mud tummy did. When Mud tummy saw the truck, he told the other boys he wanted to urinate and escaped, leaving them while they were apprehended and taken away.
3
Mud tummy, even later in adulthood, turned out to be one of the greatest thorns in my flesh. His behaviors were queer and awry. Questionable and malevolent. He hated me even when I did him no wrong. As a younger brother, so to say, I showed him all the love I needed to, but he always repaid me evil for good. He called me a weakling and mobilized other boys to hurt me. I couldn't fathom or place the behaviors of this boy who would eat up his transportation fare, then return home from school on foot in a hot sun, yet respond to the bounce of footballs outside the room by boys, and would go play with his uniform for hours. He would play and bleed from the nose. He always urinated on bed at night, even at his age of over twelve. One day, my uncle took his clothes which he had urinated on to his school to complain to his headteacher. He was arraigned in the assembly and mocked by everyone, particularly, his girlfriends.
One afternoon, Mud tummy had gone playing the hell with other boys in the premises. I never did. I stayed on my own away from them. But they seemed to interfere with all I did that day, always trying to beat me up, no matter how I avoided them. There was a lavatory at the back of the yard which most of the other tenants used. As I stood that afternoon, I could see Alibert running towards me with a large stick. I ran away while he pursued me. I ran into the lavatory for safety when he entered in and attempted forcing me down through the hole. Somehow, although being a bigger boy, he couldn't and later left. When Mud tummy came back, someone told him about it. Quite unlike him, he asked for the exact stick Alibert had used and went after him. I had not known and would have intervened, but he had taken laws into his hands. Alibert had a large navel . He used the stick on Alibert's navel and Alibert fell down flat and lay unconscious for a while. He was arrested, and Alibert's parents, though poor, sought justice. My uncle wanted to handle the issue fairly, except for Tarngarines, his wife. He was kept at the counter of the Fulston police station as an underaged for a day and was absent from school, an experience he really loved. Despite this, on his return, he came after me one day. Alibert had recuperated. I wouldn't respond, but he kept threatening till I used my knockle on his skull, behind his ears, and he fainted. Everybody knew he was wrong. When our parents returned, he was treated. It was said that on one of those nights, I had said while dozing, he should have a sheep's Hyde put in his ear to solve the problem. Well, nobody did.
The next time, he was arrested for buying a fanciful television/ radio set from the servant of a wealthy politician, who also complained he had lost a huge amount of money in the process. This time, he was eighteen and was imprisoned, and would have been arraigned in court except for my uncle's intervention.
4
Mr. Elton Light's premises, #12, Luketon, Fulston at Calton was no doubt a nice place, which was why children flocked there. There were so many trees planted around. Some included pears, coconuts, Mangoes, tangerines, oranges, lemon, limes, shower fruit, and cola. These trees bore fruits seasonally and Mr. Light thought of making money from them. But the children, particularly the boys, were so wild. They attacked and threw stones at the trees, plucking and wasting the fruits whenever they were ripe. What Light did was to get a register for any child who wasted his fruits. He entered their names there. The girls usually did the naming. And on the D-Day, which the children called the "day of days", such children, among whom Mud tummy, Dozens, Alibert and Ordinary always topped the list, would be held tightly by others on a hard wooden bench while he flogged them twenty-four strokes of the cane.
5
Mr. Brack's children, Dozens and Ordinary were wild beyond the ordinary, which was why he beat them with bunches of broom and firewoods. They were always careless and dirty. For instance, one day, they left their younger brother, Bombing, a toddler of two at home to go play, when Bimbong felt thirsty and gulped down a full bottle of kerosene. It took an observant lady to notice, while the child licked his mouth in satisfaction. He was quickly given a pump, which saved his life. When Mr. Bracks returned, he beat them for two hours with broom bunches and firewoods till adults around had to intervene. Ordinary was a strange child that was highly unpredictable. He loved to be wild, mostly wore no clothes at his age of over seven and was always hungry and begged. Also, he never attended school.
One day, Gezob, the swearer had chosen not to go to school. He stayed with the other illiterate boys wrestling. During this season, children walked round with arrows and bows for their defense. Ident had just flipped from a wall and damaged his hand as an imperfect flipper. While Ident recuperated, with a painful damage, because the hand wouldn't move anymore beyond a certain limit, thereby disfiguring him. That day, while I was at school, it was said that Gezob fought Sinsi and Ordinary with Samuel, the small head, as pair in a pair fight. The story has it that Gezob was beating Sinsi so much and preventing him from getting to his man, Ordinary, when he took up his bow and arrow and fired him straight in the eye. I came back and saw Gezob's eye all bandaged. He had lost his sight till date.
6
Samuel, the small head lived two blocks away. He was called this way because he had a minute head. This although, was not a name one could call him and get Scot free. He usually came to play with the other children at #12, Luketon, Mr. Light's premises. He was about ten. One day, something tragic took place. A mud house was being constructed in Samuel, the small head's premises. The mud house builder, a man, was not so careful. It was during the rainy season. After he had finished his construction, he left the pit from which he dug the clay unfilled, not minding that toddlers lived around. It rained the previous night to the day in question and the pit was filled with rain water. That day, two careless children, Odonte and Rone, both children of the same parents, boys aged about two each, fell into the flooded pit and perished.
7
Glad Charge Elementary School was located about a kilometer away in the neighborhood at Fulston, near the Agog market. Back then, it was the only school around. As a mission school which was later handed over to the government, almost all the children of Fulston enrolled here. This school was quite a beautiful place, as the missionaries had done a good job in the initial days, till then. The pupils of Glad Charge were wild and unlearned, compared to schools like Modernberry which I attended. The school was noted for its countless pupils who had broken their arms and legs while schooling there. Pupils always returned home with broken hands and legs almost everyday arising from their playfulness till everyone suspected it was spiritual.
8
There were quite a few eateries and inns in Calton, but they were mostly patronized by harlots and men who patronized them. Places like White Horse Temple had brothels attached to them. Our parents usually took us to two of these eateries - Blue Spot and Golden Inn. "Sir" was not immoral, and I suspect he never took beer. But the case of immoral dealings at a place called HARLOT BAY at Calton, near Notingsdale in Calton was calling for attention. I even knew another premises at a place called 40 NN Road where harlots lived and it is reputed, children of these harlots of about two, committed immorality. I will never forget in a hurry. It was quite scaring. I had not known. It was my first time at this premises called 40 NN ROAD. I was six. I had gone to preach when I found children of about two, physically and fearlessly having sex with themselves. I was about to leave when the harlots themselves came up advertising. These were women probably in their late teens to thirty. I literally escaped for my life. Later on, the government of Asworx Peters of Calton would see how to fix the problem by destroying the Temple of the Dolidishians, a hotel and harlots hideout and the entire HARLOT BAY.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. HANDSOME II, THE HANGMAN OF CALTON
2. SELLING SAND
3. MUD TUMMY ALMOST KILLS A BOY
4. FRUIT MATTER
5. GEZOB LOSES HIS EYE
6. THE TRAGEDY AT SAMUEL, THE SMALL HEAD'S PREMISES
7. GLAD CHARGE: THE ARM AND LEG-BREAKING SCHOOL
8. HARLOT BAY
1
I had just moved with my uncle from New York to live somewhere in Africa. The place was called Calton. His name was Dallon's Winter who was both the Education Commissioner and the hangman of Calton. The premises was located at #12 Luketon, Fulston, Calton and was owned by one Elton Light, in the days of King Arrowsbear of Kobikoko and King Adolifighter of Fulston. Winter was the most handsome man I set my eyes on. The people of Calton called him Handsome II after his father just because of how handsome he was. He had four cars: a Peugeot, a Mitsubishi, a Volkswagen and a Toyota. Winter did his work assiduously and was committed to the government of Africa. He lived with just me and his wife, Tarngarines. Winter had chosen this place to mask himself as both Commissioner of Education and the hangman of Calton.
Later on, his wife, Tarngarines, brought in another boy called Oquex, but whom the other children called Mud tummy. It was later found Mud tummy was her son for another man. He was a highly destructive boy, although I never allowed his influences get on me with a water-tight compartmentability.
In the day, we went to school while Winter would be at work with his wife, then return in the evening. He was an astute and extremely wise man and had no time for Christianity as practiced by the Africans. He did his work alone and had no friends. As hangman, he would as I noticed, always shut himself whenever he wanted to draft the hang sentence, which he wrote with his left hand with a red biro as an ambidexter. Usually, he allowed nobody into the room when he did this except me. Also, our home was full of books, both in Psychology, Medicine, Government and other fields. One in particular, was called LAND LORD AND TENANTS.
The Children of this premises and those who always came around from Luketon were lose and untrained, and ended up living wildly and were destructive. Added to this was the fact that their parents treated them wildly, often adopting pensive corrective measures. One such was done by Mr. Bracks, Dozens and Ordinary's father who beat his children with bunches of broom and firewoods. Whenever Dozens and Ordinary committed a crime, we children would shout "Broom mercy" while he handled them mercilessly. Also, Ordinary's poor English, "Lupick (repeat) the ball" which he used while playing football is something I would never forget. All the Children included: Dozens, the large toother who was the terrorist of the yard, his brother Ali whom the Children called Ordinary, Samuel, the small head, Alibert, Ident, Sinsi, Gezob, the swearer, Fulont, Mud tummy, Odens, who could flip 99 times and go lie like a dead man. Rose Queen, Alili, Hose, Batibati and Finsh were girls.
2
Although it was against the law of Calton, elderly and young men sold sand packed from the corroded roads of Calton whenever it rained. There were no gutters and most of the roads were not coated with bitumen, leading to more erosion, a problem the government of the day combatted with so often and ferociously. The penalty was twelve years imprisonment. And I knew. One day after school, in the absence of our parents, Mud tummy had gone to sell sand. I told him I would tell "Sir", the way we called my uncle. He threatened to beat me and went away. He however came back with a bundle of money too big for him to handle at his age. He would soon get into flirting with girls and had gonorrhea. Sharing the money with his peers always brought trouble with boys like Dozens, Alibert and Gezob, who in particular would often swear with the words "By the White God". He was however, a sharp boy. The local government authority of where we lived were out arresting men and boys who sold sand once. They pretended and came in the guise of sand buyers, but used a local government truck on which was clearly written "LOCAL GOVERNMENT AUTHORITY OF FULSTON". Funnily, most of the men and boys were illiterate and never knew how to read, but Mud tummy did. When Mud tummy saw the truck, he told the other boys he wanted to urinate and escaped, leaving them while they were apprehended and taken away.
3
Mud tummy, even later in adulthood, turned out to be one of the greatest thorns in my flesh. His behaviors were queer and awry. Questionable and malevolent. He hated me even when I did him no wrong. As a younger brother, so to say, I showed him all the love I needed to, but he always repaid me evil for good. He called me a weakling and mobilized other boys to hurt me. I couldn't fathom or place the behaviors of this boy who would eat up his transportation fare, then return home from school on foot in a hot sun, yet respond to the bounce of footballs outside the room by boys, and would go play with his uniform for hours. He would play and bleed from the nose. He always urinated on bed at night, even at his age of over twelve. One day, my uncle took his clothes which he had urinated on to his school to complain to his headteacher. He was arraigned in the assembly and mocked by everyone, particularly, his girlfriends.
One afternoon, Mud tummy had gone playing the hell with other boys in the premises. I never did. I stayed on my own away from them. But they seemed to interfere with all I did that day, always trying to beat me up, no matter how I avoided them. There was a lavatory at the back of the yard which most of the other tenants used. As I stood that afternoon, I could see Alibert running towards me with a large stick. I ran away while he pursued me. I ran into the lavatory for safety when he entered in and attempted forcing me down through the hole. Somehow, although being a bigger boy, he couldn't and later left. When Mud tummy came back, someone told him about it. Quite unlike him, he asked for the exact stick Alibert had used and went after him. I had not known and would have intervened, but he had taken laws into his hands. Alibert had a large navel . He used the stick on Alibert's navel and Alibert fell down flat and lay unconscious for a while. He was arrested, and Alibert's parents, though poor, sought justice. My uncle wanted to handle the issue fairly, except for Tarngarines, his wife. He was kept at the counter of the Fulston police station as an underaged for a day and was absent from school, an experience he really loved. Despite this, on his return, he came after me one day. Alibert had recuperated. I wouldn't respond, but he kept threatening till I used my knockle on his skull, behind his ears, and he fainted. Everybody knew he was wrong. When our parents returned, he was treated. It was said that on one of those nights, I had said while dozing, he should have a sheep's Hyde put in his ear to solve the problem. Well, nobody did.
The next time, he was arrested for buying a fanciful television/ radio set from the servant of a wealthy politician, who also complained he had lost a huge amount of money in the process. This time, he was eighteen and was imprisoned, and would have been arraigned in court except for my uncle's intervention.
4
Mr. Elton Light's premises, #12, Luketon, Fulston at Calton was no doubt a nice place, which was why children flocked there. There were so many trees planted around. Some included pears, coconuts, Mangoes, tangerines, oranges, lemon, limes, shower fruit, and cola. These trees bore fruits seasonally and Mr. Light thought of making money from them. But the children, particularly the boys, were so wild. They attacked and threw stones at the trees, plucking and wasting the fruits whenever they were ripe. What Light did was to get a register for any child who wasted his fruits. He entered their names there. The girls usually did the naming. And on the D-Day, which the children called the "day of days", such children, among whom Mud tummy, Dozens, Alibert and Ordinary always topped the list, would be held tightly by others on a hard wooden bench while he flogged them twenty-four strokes of the cane.
5
Mr. Brack's children, Dozens and Ordinary were wild beyond the ordinary, which was why he beat them with bunches of broom and firewoods. They were always careless and dirty. For instance, one day, they left their younger brother, Bombing, a toddler of two at home to go play, when Bimbong felt thirsty and gulped down a full bottle of kerosene. It took an observant lady to notice, while the child licked his mouth in satisfaction. He was quickly given a pump, which saved his life. When Mr. Bracks returned, he beat them for two hours with broom bunches and firewoods till adults around had to intervene. Ordinary was a strange child that was highly unpredictable. He loved to be wild, mostly wore no clothes at his age of over seven and was always hungry and begged. Also, he never attended school.
One day, Gezob, the swearer had chosen not to go to school. He stayed with the other illiterate boys wrestling. During this season, children walked round with arrows and bows for their defense. Ident had just flipped from a wall and damaged his hand as an imperfect flipper. While Ident recuperated, with a painful damage, because the hand wouldn't move anymore beyond a certain limit, thereby disfiguring him. That day, while I was at school, it was said that Gezob fought Sinsi and Ordinary with Samuel, the small head, as pair in a pair fight. The story has it that Gezob was beating Sinsi so much and preventing him from getting to his man, Ordinary, when he took up his bow and arrow and fired him straight in the eye. I came back and saw Gezob's eye all bandaged. He had lost his sight till date.
6
Samuel, the small head lived two blocks away. He was called this way because he had a minute head. This although, was not a name one could call him and get Scot free. He usually came to play with the other children at #12, Luketon, Mr. Light's premises. He was about ten. One day, something tragic took place. A mud house was being constructed in Samuel, the small head's premises. The mud house builder, a man, was not so careful. It was during the rainy season. After he had finished his construction, he left the pit from which he dug the clay unfilled, not minding that toddlers lived around. It rained the previous night to the day in question and the pit was filled with rain water. That day, two careless children, Odonte and Rone, both children of the same parents, boys aged about two each, fell into the flooded pit and perished.
7
Glad Charge Elementary School was located about a kilometer away in the neighborhood at Fulston, near the Agog market. Back then, it was the only school around. As a mission school which was later handed over to the government, almost all the children of Fulston enrolled here. This school was quite a beautiful place, as the missionaries had done a good job in the initial days, till then. The pupils of Glad Charge were wild and unlearned, compared to schools like Modernberry which I attended. The school was noted for its countless pupils who had broken their arms and legs while schooling there. Pupils always returned home with broken hands and legs almost everyday arising from their playfulness till everyone suspected it was spiritual.
8
There were quite a few eateries and inns in Calton, but they were mostly patronized by harlots and men who patronized them. Places like White Horse Temple had brothels attached to them. Our parents usually took us to two of these eateries - Blue Spot and Golden Inn. "Sir" was not immoral, and I suspect he never took beer. But the case of immoral dealings at a place called HARLOT BAY at Calton, near Notingsdale in Calton was calling for attention. I even knew another premises at a place called 40 NN Road where harlots lived and it is reputed, children of these harlots of about two, committed immorality. I will never forget in a hurry. It was quite scaring. I had not known. It was my first time at this premises called 40 NN ROAD. I was six. I had gone to preach when I found children of about two, physically and fearlessly having sex with themselves. I was about to leave when the harlots themselves came up advertising. These were women probably in their late teens to thirty. I literally escaped for my life. Later on, the government of Asworx Peters of Calton would see how to fix the problem by destroying the Temple of the Dolidishians, a hotel and harlots hideout and the entire HARLOT BAY.
Comment On This Poem --- Vote for this poem
BROOM MERCY
BROOM MERCY
