Two

Six boys,

Five together,

One alone.

To the docks,

They traveled,

By foot.

The five rejoiced,

In the humor,

Of the loner's past.

It was a long journey,

The five got thirsty,

The one offered water.

They reached the docks,

The five and the one,

Parted ways.

It was twilight,

It was dreamy.

The five reached their destination,

It was winter.

It was summer,

Merry and glorious.

He had a plan.

The five kept sulking,

Winter passed.

His plan was perfect,

His execution,demanding.

It was summer,

The five had a plan too,

To laugh and play.

He toiled,

Hoarding food and wood for the winter.

The five did not care about anything.

It was winter.

He carefully lived on his savings.

Years passed.

The five and the one returned,

To the docks.

He was radiating,

With health and wisdom.

While the five,

Were struck down with fevers.

They turned to him,

For nursing and care.

He,as always,

Offered to help the five.

The five were tended,

By him. All was well.

The five got better,

To resume their merry living.

He was out of sorts.

Desperate for care,

For love.

He searched,

Gesticulated.

He got nothing in return.

The five returned,

To meet their caring friend.

Hoping to live off him,

For another month,they came.

Instead,they looked at him,

Suffering,fighting for life.

He was delighted,

There was hope after all.

While he waited for the five to help,

His belief rocketed.

But the five got bored in his place.

And they left him,to resume their merry lives.

His coughs resonated around his cottage,

His sneeze added to the mists.

A young lady,

Passed his cottage.

She opened the door,

To his aid.

He was a complete stranger to her,

But that did not stop her.

She boiled water,

Made soup.

His fever got down.

His eyesight returned.

She was beautiful,

Angelic.

He felt short of words,

Unable to express thanks.

She understood.

She shed tears for a complete stranger.

He wiped her eyes,

And kissed her.

Years passed.

The giggles of their daughter,

Lit their cottage.

The five returned,

To the docks.

They were out of sorts.

They only had themselves.

Nature avenged their indifference.

They were married,

Yet they mannered like sweethearts.

To the docks,

They packed lunch.

They arrived,

With romantic prospects.

They met five people,

Suffering.

He recognized them,

At once.

The five were excited,

The caring friend to the rescue.

The couple abandoned their plans.

They turned to the couple,

For nursing and care.

The five were tended,

By them. All was well.

The five got better,

To resume their merry living.

Years passed.

The couple were gravely ill.

The five returned,

To the docks.

Hoping to live off the couple,

For another month,they came.

Instead,they looked at them,

Suffering,fighting for life.

The couple was delighted,

There was hope after all.

While they waited for the five to help,

Their belief rocketed.

But the five got bored in their place.

And they left them,to resume their merry lives.

A month later,

The couple died.

Full of knowledge,

Yet of a wrenching ignorance.

The couple always thought,

That they had five friends.

Alas,they know not,

That they were ten,and not five.

Reviews

[~]

I really liked this anecdote/aphorism.

I have found myself seeing this happen in my life, but fortunately I realized the level of hypocrisy (by the way, great last ending, summing up the theme of the poem perfectly well) before it was too late.

There are those of us who like to give, but I feel that there needs to be a balance and not allow ourselves to be taken for granted. :D

[Bhaarath Ramesh]

Exactly. :) Experience the joy of giving to only those who you think deserve/need the most. Do not give everything to everybody. They'll extract what they want from you,and then voila,they fly away without even a cursory display of gratitude. Thank you for reading my poem. :) Also thanks for agreeing with me. :P How's your friend doing?

[Riddhi]

I really liked this...Great work indeed.....It had a nice story in it which i enjoyed reading....your use of words was very nice...Keep on writing and thanks for sharing...
Riddhi

[Bhaarath Ramesh]

Wow! Thank you for reading my poem. And to come up with a sweet appreciative comment is so generous from your end. :)

[Coyote Poetry]

A powerful story. I did like the logic of the words. I believe if you lead with kindness, concern and love. You will know true peace one day. Thank you for sharing the outstanding poetry.
Coyote

[Bhaarath Ramesh]

Thanks again. I will slip another quirky thought of mine which I had while composing the line of the poem. "That they were ten,and not five" signifies the two-faced nature of the five people. I am glad that my poem worked and you liked it. For a poem to be called powerful by a reader is the ultimate gift,and you,my friend, have presented the poem with the same. I also tried to engulf the poem with the aphorism which roughly states that no one is against you,they are for themselves. Once again,I thank you for spending your time and reading this poem.

Barry.

[Coyote Poetry]

You are welcome.