The Riddle

[AMH]

Ok this is bugging me and I can\'t find the answer on \'nternet.

Poem by Gerard Benson called \'Riddle\' which is currently plastered all over the Underground:

I was the cause of great troubles, yet, resting amongst leaves, I did nothing wrong.
After much waiting I was taken in hand, passed from one to another.
Broken I moved beyond sharp barriers and was cradled in wetness, mashed to pulp.
Soon I entered a dark tunnel where bathed in acids I altered my being.
But what I entered I also altered, bringing light where there had been darkness.
I brought strife where there had been peace, pain where there had been comfort.
My journey ended in the place of corruption but by then I had changed the world.

Any ideas? I thought maybe apples - alcohol?

[lee mills]

writing material

[AMH]

Ahh - you could be right. What\'s the dark tunnel and bathed in acids bit about?

[shaunwil]

I\'d say paper money.

Shaun

[shaunwil]

Being passed to Greedy bankers !

Shaun

[lee mills]

At a guess "dark tunnel" might indicate ink being put into cartridges or a biro instead of an ink well.:2Confused
Not sure about the bathing in acids bit:eek:

[AMH]

Being passed to Greedy bankers !

Yeah yeah! :Nono!

It was written in 1931 so may have been a different printing process then - definately not done like that today, at least I haven\'t seen any dark tunnels at DeLaRue.

[shaunwil]

True, just a thought. Although when was the great depression ?

Photos are developed in acid !

Shaun

[shaunwil]

35mm film comes in a black tube

Shaun

[shaunwil]

Mar 26th - Iraq & Trans-Jordan sign peace treaty

Possibly ??

[AMH]

I think it is some form of paper as the first few lines fit - but not sure exactly what.

[lee mills]

I was almost right:Laugh
I believe after reading this that it is about the written word:Thumbs-up
 
Poems on the Underground celebrates 25th anniversary with a new set of poems

07 January 2011
Poems on the Underground have been delighting customers on the Tube for a quarter of a century.

After 25 years it\'s amazing to think that such a simple concept is still going strong Judith Chernaik


Judith Chernaik, the brainchild behind the idea of displaying poems in Tube carriages, continues to choose the verses with her colleagues that travellers see today.
To mark this special birthday a new set of poems, which includes a verse inspired by Mozart, will appear on the network in January.
The latest collection of poems is about the value of the written word, from the earliest times to the present.

[AMH]

I still recon it\'s something specfic - \'My journey ended in the place of corruption but by then I had changed the world\' implies that it is no more?

[AMH]

Just thought - it\'s not something like the Bible is it?

[Prof]

Food (possibly some sort of fruit off a tree)?  (Sharp barriers - teeth, Acids - stomach, Dark tunnel - digestive tract) etc...