The Boy and the Crown

This poem shows the spread of corruption in an environment full of corruption and those who try to do what is right also ultimately become corrupt

Once upon a time

In a land full of greed

Lived a boy who was fair and just

And always did the right deeds

 

The great king of the land

Had lost his beautiful crown

His men searched for days and nights

But it was nowhere to be found

 

Days and months and years went by

The boy grew into a man

He went on many adventure trips

As he was a wilderness fan

 

One day when he was in the jungle deep

Lost way off his track

He saw something by the water shine

And set his mind to give it back

 

He had found the precious jewel

Which the king’s best men couldn’t find

While he searched his way back he wondered

How much the king would give him in kind

 

He knew that if he sold the crown

A much larger price it would fetch

But raised to be an honest one

He went down the right stretch

 

He couldn’t just give it to the king

The king didn’t know him at all

He would be stopped at the castle’s gate

By guards strong and tall

 

But he didn’t believe that the guards

Were faithful to the king

They would steal the crown and run out of town

Blame on him they would bring

 

So he went back home surreptitiously

On his bed he lay pensive

Thinking about all the people

To whom the crown he could give

 

His landlord knew the king very well

The king personally he would meet

But that thought was put away

Because the landlord was a cheat

The landlord charged double the rent

And when the authorities came to see

He would spoil the walls and roof

And say he charged damage fee

 

What about the cheerful court jester

He could always bring about a smile

But he had also stolen several jewels

He was a master of guile

 

The minister loved to take bribes

The general lied a lot

The gardener regularly stole water

And once even got caught

 

He thought hard and thought deep

Everyone had a flaw

There was nobody he could trust

His own brother was an outlaw

 

So he decided to hold the crown

Until such a day came

When all his hard work would have paid off

And he would rise to fame

 

The king would then know his name

With all the credit he would’ve earned

He would be invited to the castle

And the crown would be rightfully returned

 

So he started on his conquest

But first he had to find what to do

He thought about all his dreams and aspirations

Still he was left without a clue

 

He wanted to teach children

But that wouldn’t bring him fame

He couldn’t become a great bull-fighter

The king thought bull-fighting was lame

 

So he thought he would start honing his skills

And leave the decision for another day

He knew that he would do something great

And do it the right way

 

The next day he went back into the wilderness

All set to improve his skills

He planned to stay there for at least a year

And experience many thrills

He roamed about all day

Searching for different berries to eat

And braved himself to sleep at night

The harsh weather wasn’t neat

 

But soon he grew tired of berries

Fruits and leaves also become mundane

So he took up hunting animals

With blood his hands would be stained

 

He started hunting with rocks

Then he made spears

He was not frightened of any wolf

He was an expert at killing bears

 

He used their skins for cold times

And some herbs to heal his injuries

He would never get lost in the forests

Nor poisoned by any berries

 

He felt that he had grown enough

It was time to go back to town

To make a name, receive fortune and fame

And then return the crown

 

So returned the prodigal son

Ready to complete his task

He found an injured girl on the street

Help from him, she did ask

 

She had slipped on a banana peel

And bruised her right knee

It was paining, she was screaming

But the man knew the key

 

He took out some leaves from his bag

And churned them into a cream

He applied it on the little girl’s knee

She recovered, it would seem

 

She took him back to her house

Her father was a doctor

He thanked him and gave him food

And asked him how he healed her

 

He told the doctor about his journey

And about these medicinal plants

The doctor wrote all of it down

As he kept on with his rants

The next day he found out

That the doctor stole his cures

The doctor started selling his medicines

The doctor’s heart wasn’t pure

 

He went to the General next

Showed all the tools he’d made

His tools were taken and he was kicked out

He wasn’t even paid

 

He started selling all the clothes

Which he made using animal skin

A trader came along and bought all of them

And sold them for much higher prices with a grin

 

He tried and tried

But he was always cheated

He became wary and suspicious

By all whom he greeted

 

He lost all the savings

His family left for him

He had nothing left to sell

His chances seemed slim

 

Then he saw the shining crown

That was all that he had left

The righteous voice inside was there no more

He started to pursue theft

 

He went to the darkest place in town

He did not feel any fright

He would sell the crown during the day

And steal it back at night

 

The world never had been kind to him

He had to return the favor

Every opportunity to earn money he would take

Every penny he would savor

 

And day by day he became more deft

He had finally risen to fame

He was known as the black panther

And everybody knew that name

 

He would steal every jewel

Without leaving a trace

He had been in and out of every house

But nobody ever saw his face

He buried the crown in the wild

Where nobody would ever go

One day he travelled too deep

And a sharp branch cut his throat

 

And that precious jewel remained undisturbed

Till a visitor came from town

Feeling the fresh air of the wilderness

A boy like him found the crown

Author's Note

Please comment and tell me what you think. Do you think the message of the spread of corruption is coming out?