When peace breaks out, war heroes
take off their uniforms, sit in offices
and think up slogans to sell more petrol.
The Prince sat in the Shell Petroleum Company.
So he wrote:

Be super man
Drive super car
Go super sweetly
With Super Shell
SUPER SHELL! SUPER SHELL!
SOOOPER SHELL!

He attached a catchy jingle
and it was heard on the radio
and sung on the streets.
Did it cause cars
to avoid stations selling Esso?
It may be so. It may be not so.

When the Thais discovered synthetic fibres
(Look! No need iron!),
their cotton industry disappeared.
Tourists have been seeking
fruitlessly for real cotton.
As Peace stays broken out, other heroes,
with no uniforms to take off,
think up slogans to sell more shirts.
They write:
100 percent cotton.

“Why do you do that?”
“Customer want. Make happy.”
“But it’s not true!”
“Never mind. Never mind.
No need iron! He more happy!”

Other customers are more happy too.
Vegetables have been grown,
with all the advantages of inorganic
modern chemicals, and shown
by American super salesmen
to be not only bigger and heavier
but kill beetles as well.
SUPER SELL! SUPER SELL!
Super salesmen
can also appease the hunger
of those who crave a green mantra;
Or-GAN-ic! Or-GAN-ic! OooorGANic!

“Cross-product Communication,
a policy of continuous development”,
as taught by American super gurus,
means that your shirt, besides being
No need iron,
can also be
100 percent organic cotton.
SUPER SHIRT! SUPER SHIRT!

It doesn’t even need to be green.

……PLUS C’EST LA MĖME CHOSE.

.

(from BAMBOO LEAVES – Poetry in Thailand)