William H.A. Willbond MSM, CD

KERPLOP: A WORD THAT SOUNDS ABSURD

Photo ©Copyright by John-Ward LeightonThe words were bouncing in my head
Oh rapidly those words were said
I seemed to understand them, really
Those rhymes and phrases in Swahili

Nephew Matthew he once said Bagoose
In the lanes of Jakarta he ran loose
Brother Bob worked for the Government
And many years o’er seas was spent

To Tripp Street he came back again
Retired, saying: Ciao, Adieu, Zai Jian!
I was den a’ snoozing in my chair
Lynne says to me, Billy look out there

The ground she is covered – it’s now white
We got a snow storm over night!
I then lay down upon the bed
And pulled the blankies o’er my head

And soon the language dreams occurred;
The babble sound of a foreign word
Guten tag or was dat be gates?
Zo yi Zo hen quai! – You won’t be late!

Come See Cum Saw – Cum Maw see Vaw
Sometime I tink dat’s Gatineau Patois
But sprecken Deutsche, dat's not my ting
Shwo Jung Gwo Hwa – ming bai – yee ding!

Den in dat dream I hear each word
Dey come out strange, chee gwai, absurd!
Hinglish – Hokay – I understand
Asalaama Alikum dat's Pakistan?

Or is dat de coast of Africa?
In Mombasa dere God is called Allah
You’ll hear dis if to Zanzibar you go
Jambo muzungu, piga picha ‘jambo

Wo boo jer dow – ich nicht ferstain
Deeze tots keep running tru me brain
De dialects of Babylon, are they now gone?
Or are they still being heard in the ancient song?

These words seem strange, but yet somehow
It’s not too strange when John says: Ciao?
I guess dis pome she will havta stop?
The snow slid from de roof – kerplop!