My Upanishadic Sweetie Pie 12 Poem by Geeta Radhakrishna Menon

'Listen to me and hear this story of courage and hope'
said My birdie-pie

'It is the story of a brave donkey!
A stupid farmer owned this donkey.
One day, while carrying the farmer's load,
The donkey slipped and fell into a well.
The donkey cried pathetically!
The farmer was confused and
Did not know how to handle the situation.
The farmer did not possess a compassionate heart either!
Instead of calling out to the neighbours to help him,
To pull the donkey out of the well,
He asked them to shovel mud and dirt into the well.
The equally stupid neighbours began to shovel mud into the well.
The donkey was horrified.
They were not saving him but were trying to kill him.
The donkey cried and brayed piteously!

Suddenly, the donkey stopped crying!
Should he not attempt to save himself?
As each shovel of mud fell into his back,
He would shake it off and step up the well.

As the people continued to shovel dirt,
The donkey continued shaking it off his back
And make another step upwards.
Then, another step and again another, and so on,
Until he climbed up fully!

As the donkey reached the ridge of the well
He stepped out royally,
Like a proud model walking on the ramp,
And walked away into fresh daylight
With aplomb,
And his head held high! '

'What an amazing story! '
I said with a gleaming hope and wonder in my eyes.

Sweetie Pie continued:
'Life will shovel all kinds of bricks at you.
There will be hundred failures in your life.
But each brick, each failure should be your stepping stone!
Be determined and be persistent with your goal.
A day will come when success will kiss your fingers with joy.'

So saying, my black and white Sweetie Pie birdie friend,
Skipped, hopped and danced like a pretty ballerina,
And with a shrill squeak, flapped her wings,
And flew away into the dark blue horizon!