an era not connected anymore
Children used to laugh to see its dances – cheer to the tricks the creature made. The hairy one was once the darling of the children in the 70's.
It was late in the morning when a man walked through the maze of a slump area. A used to be white long sleeves shirt now looked grayish. Its material looked worn by the passing of the time. His face seemed older than his age hidden under the straw hat he wore.
Children followed him through the narrow pavement he walked on bordered by the smelly drainages in its sides. Half running, they laughed and yelled at the creature perched on his right shoulder. Making noise to the animal they seldom see in the city nowadays. One of them, the bold one, tried to pull its tail.
The creature shrieked. Its voice - high and strident.
With one of his palms, he calmed his beloved pet. Gently stroking his back with the look of anger shown in his face.
There were days he could make Rp10,000 a day. And there were days he has to go home empty handed like today. Today was the day he made nothing at all. No one asked for his show. No one even bothered to look at him walking by with the sound of small drum he stroke to get the attention. The children were nowhere to be found.
It is when the Play Stations and the DVD players replaced his show. A new generation ignoring the once was popular. Perhaps one day, the things we have now will become the story of the past. Like this story of a man who made living with a monkey- known as the Topeng Monyet.
What would you do if you were him?
It was late in the morning when a man walked through the maze of a slump area. A used to be white long sleeves shirt now looked grayish. Its material looked worn by the passing of the time. His face seemed older than his age hidden under the straw hat he wore.
Children followed him through the narrow pavement he walked on bordered by the smelly drainages in its sides. Half running, they laughed and yelled at the creature perched on his right shoulder. Making noise to the animal they seldom see in the city nowadays. One of them, the bold one, tried to pull its tail.
The creature shrieked. Its voice - high and strident.
With one of his palms, he calmed his beloved pet. Gently stroking his back with the look of anger shown in his face.
There were days he could make Rp10,000 a day. And there were days he has to go home empty handed like today. Today was the day he made nothing at all. No one asked for his show. No one even bothered to look at him walking by with the sound of small drum he stroke to get the attention. The children were nowhere to be found.
It is when the Play Stations and the DVD players replaced his show. A new generation ignoring the once was popular. Perhaps one day, the things we have now will become the story of the past. Like this story of a man who made living with a monkey- known as the Topeng Monyet.
What would you do if you were him?
posted by kacamatasaya at 10:21 PM
2 Comments:
it's tiring to fight the shift in lifestyle, in technology, in every other paradigm that is inevitable as the society grows older.
we may have these memories of "topeng monyet" or "main loncat karet", but the generation thereafter have nothing as such to reminisce.
(but who i am to tell, considering my own age? hehehe)
I don't know what to say.. but quoting Jack Trout's "differentiate or die" perhaps there should be any adjustment. I believe that those kids still have curiosity on Topeng Monyet, though the era won't smile nice to this show..my nephew n niece still look in awe everytime they saw this.:)
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