Tuesday, December 11, 2007




This poem was NOT nominated by the UN as the best poem of 2006 - and it was NOT
written by an African kid:

When I born, I black
When I grow up, I black
When I go in sun, I black
When I scared, I black
When I sick, I black
And when I die, I still black

And you white fellow

When you born, you pink
When you grow up, you white
When you go in sun, you red
When you cold, you blue
When you scared, you yellow
When you sick, you green
And when you die, you gray
And you calling me colored??

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Before the advent of the Internet, when we used to get junk only through the mailman, we hardly ever felt the need to go knocking on our friends' doors to share the 'gems' we had received in our mail. But the Web changed all that. Now anytime we receive anything that strikes a chord in us, we need to forward it to all and sundry--and without checking any references. Why? Can we be a bit sparing?

Most of us have been receiving the above quoted poem in spam for the last many years.

To spammers,
Since when has the UN entered the business of nominating the best poem of the year?
Please tell us the name of the African kid who wrote this?
[The style is more like Borat's, my favorite Kazakh journalist.]

Photo, courtesy of the UN.