Piggy's Mansion Plans Poem by Shivangi Shankar

Piggy on the railway line picking up stones
Down came the engine and broke Piggy’s bones
‘Ah! ’ said the Piggy, ‘that’s not fair! ’
‘Oh! ’ said the engine driver, ‘I don’t care! ’

Standing on the railway line ‘picking up stones’
Little Piggy asked for it- those broken bones.
Silly little Piggy, made a careless decision
Getting his bones broken was the valid conclusion.

He did not look around, didn’t spare a thought
For dangers on the railway line that engines and all brought
He did not realise, he had not analysed
The risks he should’ve foreseen, and hence was penalised.

“But you don’t get it! I needed those pieces of rock
I was building a Piggy Mansion, I needed to stock.
Had I stopped to think about Engines on lines,
My Mansion plans would suffer! ” little Piggy whines.

“I grabbed the opportunity, I tried out my hand
I was just unlucky, my enterprise you won’t understand.
I saw a dream; I pursued it with all my Piggy-might
I’m an optimist; don’t think of risks, I like to keep things light.

You’re a cynic, hopeless, you think too much of an issue
That’s just remotely possible and may never come true.
Why should I think, about what fate has in store?
I’ll find out soon enough when it knocks at my door.”

But Piggy dear, that mansion plan is useless today-
You’ll sell it to pay your hospital bills, it suffered anyway.
Piggy, Piggy, Piggy, how immature!
To do things without knowing, without making sure.

Yes, you need to think of remote adverse possibilities
You need to plan out your dreams-all the nitty-gritties.
I get your dream, but your enterprise, I cannot see-
I see a broken dream, one that couldn’t be.

Assess the risks, weigh and prioritise
Judge the outcome and where your strength lies.
Take risks fully knowing, if in the long run
That risk would be worth it, worth all that you’ve done.

“Oh! What’s the use? What can I do?
I have no courage for anything new!
Curse that mansion! Curse those stones!
Curse the Engine-driver! Curse these broken bones!

No more risks for me, I’m now mature
I’ll go live in the sty, safe and secure.
I’ll be timid-no more impudence
I’ll be wise- no more imprudence.

Forget the Piggy Mansion that never was built
Forget my folly, forget my guilt
Forget the Engine-driver who did not care
I WOULDN’T BE HERE, HAD HE NOT BEEN THERE.”

Calm down Piggy dear, clear up your mind
What’s done is done, you cannot rewind.
But life’s not over, nor your enterprise
Giving up on your dreams is definitely not wise.

See, that’s why you should’ve planned before going after pieces of rock
It would’ve kept you prepared, helped deal with the shock.
Stop the lament, do not bemoan!
Gather your broken dream, forget that broken bone.

Switch to Plan B-“But it doesn’t exist! ”
Then we’ll make one (or two) , we shall persist.
We’ll start afresh with hope renewed
Oh! Get over it, don’t look so subdued!

“What about the risks? I’m not taking any more.
I’m a pig; I should stick to the sty with a door.
It’s a lost chance, why waste time?
Why try to search for sweetness in a sour old lime? ”

This time over, we’ll check every detail
Plan an alternative to bounce back, should we fail.
We’ll give shape to your amazing Piggy Mansion
Not only shall we build it-we’ll go for expansion!

Now tell me little Piggy- Why, in the first place,
Did you want to build a Mansion? Beauty? Grace?
What would you do, in so huge a manor?
Is it luxury you’re chasing? Or is it grandeur?


“Oh, but that Mansion wasn’t just for me!
It was for my friends and my family.
I would make it a shelter (Of course, I would charge!)
It’d be safe and comfortable; No hunter could barge!

We’d be safe from the foxes, safe from that dog
Safe from the human, that cooks us on the log!
We’d get proper sleep, songs we would grunt
Pigs would get proper care, including the runt.

Yes, I’ll do it! It was a good vision.
My bones are better now; I’ll give the plan a revision.
I’ll collect all the pigs and pool our wealth
I’ll start with the blueprint and improve my health.”

So, Piggy made calls from the hospital bed.
He looked up the train-schedule- all of it he read.
He now knew the timings for every scheduled train
He planned carefully, for he’d a lot to lose and a lot to gain!

Now, clearer on his goals, focussed on his plan
He gathered all the pigs, lead them with élan!
He told them the scheme they readily agreed
He told them the problems, asked them to pay heed.

Together they divided their respective chores
They were determined to get it right, they were charged to the core.
Said Little Piggy- Come along, decide- who’ll do what?
He made different teams, professional help he sought.

There was a team of workers, another one that’d paint
One designing interiors- “Modern as well as quaint! ”
Headed by Little Piggy was the most important team-
The one dealing with risks, Piggy was protecting his dream.

He thought of quakes and flames, of recession and disease,
He planned what was to be done if the happy times cease.
He taught his companions, the required disaster- drills
He taught them all he could about medicines and pills.

Bit by bit, one room was built and then an entire wing
“The perks of planning, I can see, are simply amazing! ”
Soon the dream Mansion almost reached completion
But there arose a problem: overpopulation!

Little Piggy’s Mansion had become all the rage
So the pigs rushed in, they offered to work without wage!
This was unexpected, but little Piggy said,
“I can offer makeshift stays and a heather bed.

This is tricky and surprising, I am truly elated.
Allow me some time”, the situation he related.
Worker pigs panicked, they wondered what to do
But little Piggy was unflustered; he calmed the others, too.

He was ready for change, he altered the plan
He added to the mansion, accommodated the entire clan.
The finishing touches were added, the walls all papered
The Mansion was a beauty! It had turrets that tapered.


Piggy didn’t looked back since, he founded schools and malls
He was popular, revered and loved, his photograph hung on walls
Generations of little pigs were inspired by his life
His story was taught to them, it had lessons rife!

So we see how little Piggy made it really big
He created opportunities, despite being a pig!
He dealt with risks, said, “Plan with care!
Don’t be afraid of risks. Just beware! ”