Little Timmy was assigned
A task too high
A mountain of rice
To rest on his back
As he set to deliver
To villages atop
Three distinct hills
Each higher than the other
A mountain of rice
And little Timmy
It was light when he started
For the rice was hoisted
By villagers nearby
Down from the granary
Till the village gate
Where he would start
Start to ascend
A mountain of rice
A dozen hands
And little Timmy
He started from the gate
He was all alone
Huffing and puffing
He began the ascent
As up he went
He was met
By an old wise man
In need of help
“Help me dear child,
For my knees too weak
Cannot help my eyes
To see from the peak”
“Well hop in” said Tim
And the old man sat
Atop the rice
Adding to the burden
As they climbed atop
The old man imparted
Wisdom in stories
Of dragons and knights
Of snakes and wights
And of scorpions.
Old man’s debt was paid
In knowledge shared
Timmy’s sweat rewarded
As from the peak they stared
At the first village
Where he had to deliver
The first shipment of rice
From his mountain
A mountain of rice
An old man wise
And little Timmy
As he entered the gate
The villagers stared
“You’re late, you’re late,
We’re famished, our state
You made us wait”
The old man thanked
In one last advice
“Time waits for no man”
As Timmy began
To ascend the next hill.
The village second
Was higher than the first
The road steeper
The weather harsh
And yet the mountain
Of rice had weighed
Much less than before
That gave him hope
He started from the gate
He was all alone
Huffing and puffing
He began the ascent
As up he went
He was met
By a mouse in pain
It’s efforts in vain
To climb atop
As tiny feet
Could not tread well
As they would swell
When climbing the hill
As it was meant for boots
“Well I have boots,
So hop in will you”
said Timmy in glee
As he was happy
To be of help
The cute little mouse
Deserved some rest
“Thank you master Tim,
But as you see,
My family needs
They need to come
Would you be so kind
To let them in
Along with me
They’re not much you see”
Hesitant at first
Tim finally agreed
How much could a mouse weigh
To add to his problems
And as they climbed
Tim’s caravan was joined
By tiny mice
Every step of the way
Three hundred cousins
Four dozen wives
Two hundred grandparents
And a thousand little kids
But Tim’s mountain
Got no heavier
For the mice were hungry
They dug into the rice
And ate their weight’s worth
“It’s the least we can do”
They said in unison
Little Timmy thought it fair
As he reached atop
The second hill
A mountain of rice
A mountain of mice
And little Timmy
As he entered the gate
The villagers complained
“Where is the rice,
Oh no, not the mice
There’s no food to eat”
Now they would suffer
And Tim was to blame
“But the old man said,
To help others in need
Should the day ever come
You find yourself
In trouble deep
That they would come
Would come to help
To lighten your feet”
The villagers wailed
“Of course he would preach
To help others, that leech
For he was himself
In need for help
So he shaped your mind
To believe in kind
So that his kind
Can flourish”
Tim now confused
His beliefs shattered
He questioned things
And then decided
That all that mattered
Was the last shipment of rice
Atop the third hill
He would embark
Though now it was dark
The village third
Was higher than the second
The road steeper
The weather harsh
And yet the mountain
Of rice had weighed
Much less than before
That gave him hope
He started from the gate
He was all alone
Huffing and puffing
He began the ascent
As up he went
He was met
Why it was Jenna
Who was also assigned
To deliver rice
Just like Timmy
“Oh dear Timmy,
Please help me do
For my legs cannot walk
As they have been stung…”
Timmy wanted to hear
No more from her
His lack of trust
And innocence faded
A grown up lad
His self now jaded
He repeated to her
What the villagers told him
“I’m sorry dear Jenna
To each their own
I can sympathise much
But can’t help you as such
You’re own your own”
“But Tim be warned..”
He cut her short,
“I have to go
The hill is waiting
The village will not
feed itself”
As he was walking
Up the hill
He was met
By a man suave,
All charm and no talk
He offered his hand
To shake with Tim’s
He reached his hand
To shake the man’s
It was too late
When he realised
A scorpion move
Under his sleeve
Crawled up to Tim
And stung his hand
Leaving him senseless
And as he fell
He could see
The charming man
Dig his hand
Into Tim’s mountain
His mountain of rice
When hope was lost
He suddenly heard
Tiny footsteps
Storm the hill
The mice you see
Had met the old man
Who bitterly taught
That they had brought
Only sorrow to Tim
Even though they thought
That they had helped
By eating his rice
Now fuelled by guilt
And the strength of rice
The mice swarmed the man
They flung his hat
Only to reveal
Two sharp horns
They bit him
Here and there
Till he bled
And made his way
Down the hill
As fast as he could
They bit Tim too
Dug their teeth
Into his skin
Tim squealed in pain
But it was needed
For the mice
Had to suck the venom
Before it hurt Tim more.
Tim bore the pain
And as he stood
He thought of Jenna
Guilty and ashamed
He descended to her
She was lying pale
The old man by her side
“I will take her to the village
She will be fine
But that would mean
Her shipment of rice
Would not be seen
By the village atop.”
“Worry not old man,
For I will take
Her shipment of rice
For friendship’s sake.”
said Tim as he
Picked up the rice
Two mountains on his back
He thanked the mice.
He made his way
Huffing and puffing
Puffing and sweating
Two mountains of rice
Nested on his back
Each step he took
Took him closer
And yet the top
Seemed so far away
Till at last he reached
Atop the hill
He looked at the gate
He managed a smile
He was finally done
A mountain of rice
And a mountain of rice
And little Timmy
As he entered the gate
The villagers rejoiced
They would not be hungry
For when the winter came
They cared not
To ask about Jenna
Tim expected nothing less.
Some did complain
About how he was late
About how it was less
But he did not care
For he was done
He turned around
And hurried down
Down the hill
To meet Jenna
Poem by Prawigya Pariyar
AI generated Images by Dalle 3
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