Lo! The pickpocket
20 June 2014
EMILY BINA
An entry in The Crocodile Prize
Kina Securities Award for Poetry
I travel from my school to the University three times a week. I have to get on three buses: from Kila Kila to Manu; from Manu to Gordons; and from Gordons to University. At each bus stop pickpocketing is always a problem as commuters get into the buses. When children are out from school in the afternoons it is worse.
You pick on the weak and the flustered
You pick on the old and the unwary
You pick on the dimdims, the dumdums
You pick at Koki, you pick at Gordons
You pick mobile phones and wallets
You pick two kina and school books
You pick the students and the workers
You pick at the major minor bus stop
You pick bilums and school bags
You pick shirt pockets and six pockets
You pick the front and the back
You pick anything
You pick for your life
You pick with the fingers
You pick with the razor
You pick with a pack
You pick for your bread and fou your butter
You pick for the nambis and you smile em up
You pick the Mamose and you glee em up
You pick the NGI and you look em up
You pick for the Papuans and you shout em up
You pick the unwary Highlander and you skin em up
You pick the wary Highlander and Lo!,
You pick your ego, you pick your teeth on the ground
A good poem Emily.
It's always such a horrible joy for crowds to watch a pickpocket collecting his teeth off the ground.
In Adelaide, at night and especially on weekends, two or three police officers and security personel will get on the trains to patrol for public safety at known trouble times and locations.
Some nights the police are also on foot patrol at known trouble hotposts, with vehicles parked at strategic locations.
I reckon that it doesn't cost them much fuel budget to do that.
A group of well armed, well prepared police officers on the streets is usually enough to deter most punks from getting up to mischief.
I wonder why the cops in PNG can't do foot patrol?
Although, they will do foot patrol when the right amount of 'duty money' is paid, and usually for the safety of politicians and business men.
Posted by: Michael Dom | 21 June 2014 at 08:08 AM