Benjamin Peret poem

GROWN OLD THE DEVIL BECOMES A HERMIT

Louis-Phillipe is tall for his age
Give him some pennies
his cap will be too small
Give him two neckties
he'll lie every day
Give him another pipe
his mother will cry
Give him a pair of gloves
he'll lose his shoes
Give him coffee
he'll have blisters
Give him a corset
he'll wear a collar
Give him suspenders
he'll heal mice
Give him a club
he'll board a plane
Give him soup
he'll make a statue of it
Give him shoelaces
he'll eat gooseberries

It's Monsieur Phillipe
who lives on pills and blotting-paper
eats his mother
and forgets time walking

--Benjamin Peret (trans. Marilyn Kallet)