35. Career

Once upon a time, a king went on a procession;
The people came there to see his valued possession,
An elephant on which he sat with unfathomable pride;
All common people prostrated at the elephant’s stride.

A commoner envied and vied to be that elephant;
He became that elephant and felt each man an ant,
This gleeful position was disturbed by the mahout’s goad
That was quaintly carried by the king all along the road.

The elephant envied and vied to be the king;
It became the king to use the goad like a Viking;
He also started enjoying some delectable sweets,
The bright sun was hot as people continued their greets.

Soon, the king envied and vied to be the sun;
He enjoyed and continued shining with all fun;
While people felt the scorching sun intolerable,
The clouds rescued them as the sun felt insatiable.

The sun envied and vied to be the thick cloud;
As it obstructed the sun, its ecstasy was too loud;
A while later, when there was some cool breeze,
It rained, flowed like a stream, closing its lease.

The stream envied and vied to be that hillock,
Which hindered and diverted its flow and track;
The rock was rock solid, remaining unmoved,
Until, on a morning, it was hit, hit and hit to be removed.

The hillock envied and vied to be that strong force;
Ascertaining this force’s source and recourse,
It was astonished by God’s creation and plan,
When that force was none but a common man!