juantamad.com » lazy john

Juan Tamad and the Guava Fruit

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 07:36:03 +0000

Once, while Juan was idly sitting around,
He noticed a nearly ripe guava
Hanging from a branch.

The rooster immediately urged Juan,
“Reach for the crisp fruit!”
“But my arm feels tired,” said Juan.
“I will just open my mouth
And wait for the fruit to fall!”

Several afternoons passed. Juan, open-mouthed,
Waited for his favorite fruit.
Until the guava became fully ripe.

Already full of craving, Juan stood up
And reached for the fruit. To his great surprise,
The guava was already full of holes.
“The Maya birds beat me to it!”

Juan Tamad and the Crab (Alimango)

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 07:30:51 +0000

Once, Lazy Juan was asked by
His mother to buy crabs.
Miraculously, Juan obeyed right away!

Even his rooster was amazed.
“What could Juan have eaten?
Could it be that my lazy friend
Has changed?”

Juan was lively, and was even swinging his arms
As he hurried towards the market.
“Can I buy some crabs?”
I want those with fleshy claws and lots of fat!”
The plump vendor chose the biggest ones
And tied then up well.

Juan was lively, and was even swinging his arms
As he hurried home,
Carrying the wriggling crabs.

From a distance, he could hear his friends playing
Near the riverbank. They were happily shouting
As they played with paper boats.

Juan wanted to join the fun.
“What about the crabs?” asked the rooster
“Crabs are smart,” said Juan.
“They can easily get to our place!
Don’t worry, I will carefully teach them
The way to our house.”

Juan released the crabs.
They quickly got into the water.
“See! They even found a shorter route!”

Lazy Juan played by the riverbank
Until it was noon.
His stomach was grumbling
As he hurried home.

“Where are the crabs, Juan?”
His mother was so angry.
“What took you so long? Where are the crabs?”

“I sent them home earlier, Mother.
Perhaps the crabs I bought were truants!”

Lazy Juan was so scared that he quickly hid
In their backyard. His rooster just shook its head and said:
“One can never rely on a lazy child.
It is better to be industrious than lazy!”

Juan Tamad (Lazy John)

Sat, 06 Jun 2009 05:10:17 +0000

Every day, in the morning, the whole town would hear Juan’s mother shouting. “Lazy Juan! Get uuuuup! Lazy Juan, it’s almost noon!”

Even if the sun was already up high, Juan would still be snoring in bed. He could not be relied on to work inside and outside their home. Whenever he was asked to do something, Juan would have an excuse. “My feet hurt, Mother,” he would say when asked to fetch water from the jar. “My hands are numb, “he would say when asked to wash dishes. So Juan would end up sitting around the whole afternoon.

Every afternoon, Juan would lie down under the tree and just gape around. “When will you change?”

Even their pet rooster would wonder. “Why are you so lazy, Juan?”

Source: Lampara Books (Manila, Philippines)