Once upon a time, there lived a king…

Our tale starts with Once upon a time…

There was a human king full of pride,

Deciding to praise his mighty stride,

He summoned the singers to sing a hymn.

But the hymn was not for the God,

Rather written for his own nod.

Building his statues and shining his floor,

The servants smoothed his arrogant core.

Let it be ego or let be pride, nothing stays long if not for time.

Drought hit them, the ground shook them,

Fearing the epidemic, the king left them.

Not wanting to be seen, he walked the forest,

Frightened by his own shadows, his body pained for rest.

Remembering the time he was a kid,

his self wanted to make a bid.

Either he enjoyed his last,

or learned from the past.

Reflecting upon his shameful deeds,

And the reluctance of fulfilling his subject’s needs.

He felt ashamed of who he had became,

And how he had ignored his own aim.

He glared back at the time he had lost,

But beamed at the path he had long before tossed.

The rays of hope had lit his chest,

as he determined to do his best.

Back he went to the kingdom he once fled,

And later, with success he led.

So always remember the importance of time,

And as it is said,

one day your own tale will spread,

Starting with the golden ‘Once upon a Time’…

-Prathama Singh