Well this is just a poem written, I presume in indignation, when the Oxford Junior Dictionary, had certain words taken out and a 'more up to date' words put in, the list comes from a Daily Telegraph article in 2008. Of course looking at the list, and it does seem strange that common words such as bluebell and buttercup get lost, it is the 'nature' element that seems to have been attacked by those who know best! - a pity....
Young people of today,
the Committee for Childhood has decreed
the following words are hereby deemed
superflous to your youthful need:
No longer do you need to know
the onomatopoeia of babbling brooks,
or recognise the glint of minnows as they dart.
Henceforth, no longer will earthy beetroot
or hedgerow blackberry stain your little fingers,
let’s keep them clean! Our official stamp
obliterates the porpoises who arc
between crystal sea and sky,
the heron standing proud and still.
The conk of a conker being conquered
or the lonely belly-deep bray of a donkey
from across fields far away -
you will not miss these sounds.
It is but childish to hold a buttercup
to a friend’s chin to see gold glow.
And why do you need to know
it is from acorns that oak trees grow?
We will provide.
Instead, we decree,
these are the frames
for what you see:
bungee-jumping celebrity
is, of course, compulsory.
Your souls will be formed
through attachments
to block graphs and databases.
The Committee welcomes you
to your citizenship of this world!
For a link to the original article, run your mouse over the title of the poem..
the Committee for Childhood has decreed
the following words are hereby deemed
superflous to your youthful need:
No longer do you need to know
the onomatopoeia of babbling brooks,
or recognise the glint of minnows as they dart.
Henceforth, no longer will earthy beetroot
or hedgerow blackberry stain your little fingers,
let’s keep them clean! Our official stamp
obliterates the porpoises who arc
between crystal sea and sky,
the heron standing proud and still.
The conk of a conker being conquered
or the lonely belly-deep bray of a donkey
from across fields far away -
you will not miss these sounds.
It is but childish to hold a buttercup
to a friend’s chin to see gold glow.
And why do you need to know
it is from acorns that oak trees grow?
We will provide.
Instead, we decree,
these are the frames
for what you see:
bungee-jumping celebrity
is, of course, compulsory.
Your souls will be formed
through attachments
to block graphs and databases.
The Committee welcomes you
to your citizenship of this world!
For a link to the original article, run your mouse over the title of the poem..
Sad indeed, very, very sad. And so true.
ReplyDeleteIt does give pause to reflection..
ReplyDelete