As a
Gurgling, burbling, growing baby,
I constantly fed
On a plastic bottle
And slept with a plastic dummy
In my plastic cot
I nibbled on plastic rings,
Crawled in plastic diapers
And drooled on plastic toys,
Before I was weaned
In plastic bowls
Aided by plastic spoons
In a plastic, easy to clean, chair
I soon outgrew my plastic lego and dolls,
To kick around plastic footballs,
And slouch on the couch
Glued to the glossy TV, PS2 and Xbox,
When I wasn’t studying and surfing on my plastic laptop
Successful admission into university
Led to a life of never-ending study,
Powered by plastic-sealed, ready meals
And countless, bottled energy drinks
The years flew by and before I knew it,
I’d graduated to a high-flying career
Of smart plastic suits and posh plastic shoes,
Affording endless plastic bags of designer shopping,
A whole new level of synthetic, luxury living
And now, I’ve finally retired.
I’ve shifted from city to seaside
To relax in plastic shades and shorts,
Hydrate on bottled water
And enjoy plastic water sports.
And I guess in old age,
I’ll survive on plastic-packaged pills
And shuffle around with a plastic stick,
Before I remove my plastic teeth,
And plastic bifocals
To drift off
To eternal sleep.
Fatema Valji
