GARRI AND THE MAGIC CUP

Run to the market
Buy some garri home
Here is the money
Take a sack along
The pot has some soup
Waiting for the garri
Three and twenty cups
For sweet smelling soup
Run to the market
Bring some garri home
Six cups of garri
Was all he could bring
What about the rest
Seventeen cups short

‘Where u bai de garri’?

Hungry mouths shouted
The seller is a cheat
With a magic cup
Before he could answer
News spread around
Magic cup, magic cup
People and their belief
Talk of magical cup
Garri on the head
Of poor innocent boy
Poured into the sand
On his way home
Leaving only six cups
For mouths to wag a lie

About This Poem

Review Request Direction: What did you think of my title?
How was my language use?
What did you think of the rhythm or pattern or pacing?
How does this theme appeal to you?
How was the beginning/ending of the poem?
Is the internal logic consistent?

Review Request Intensity: I want the raw truth, feel free to knock me on my back

Editing Stage: Editing - rough draft

About the Author

Country/Region: NGA

Favorite Poets: Inspired by an article in an old manuscript

Comments

I thought that...

the boy who went to get the Garri, was set upon by some ruffians and the Garri was poured on his head as they teased him. But what is Garri? This all hung together rather well, and I liked the rhythm. It reminded me of some kind of fable or nursery rhyme. Just can't figure out what Garri is! ~ Gee

Garri

This is made from cassava tubers, after it is crated, the water is squeezed out and it is fried in a big pan. Like foo-foo, it is soaked in hot water and swallowed in small balls with any soup of choice. It is also soaked in cold water with sugar or salt and then sipped. cassava is a staple food among our people and it is prepared in different forms. The story in the piece actually happened to me when I was a boy. Thank you for the comments and for your time on the piece. Best wishes.