Poetry Pleases: My Cambodian God
There’s humour and a deep seriousness in Tony Ellis’s poem about buying a god for $9.50, plus tax.
I have a Cambodian god in my bedroom
I found him at T J Maxx
Black and alone on a shelf
In the household aisle
Miserable between bright jugs and blue bowls
For $9.50 plus tax
I set him free
Adorned him with rudraksh beads
Tilacked him with sandal paste
Washed him clean
Now he sits
Warm dark and silent
And watches over me while I sleep
Head and shoulders of an ancient culture
Inexplicably at rest
In a Fairfield farmhouse
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From There is Wisdom in Walnuts; 27 Poems by Tony Ellis and a Couple by his Dad. ©2004 tony ellis / www.tonyellis.com
