Once there was a king,

In a land far, far away

long, long time ago

popular he was, worshipped by many

the king changed a law, to much fanfare

nobody will draw water from the wells in buckets,

only steel glasses to be used to draw water.

People were storing excess water in buckets,

And the law will stop it, the king reasoned

And his ministers and fans, hailed him.

Soon, things got ugly, for everyone was busy

Standing in queues for hours, with glasses to fill

The citizens drew more and used less, as panic was around

The wells soon ran out

Even the river which supported the wells dried out

And now, people lost their cool.

Altercations turned into fights, and then into riots

Chaos here, chaos there, confusion everywhere

As everyone was in queues, everything came to a halt

No agriculture, no production and no productive work around

The loss of lives, mattered little to the king,

he was in a dream, praised by his own men.

He ordered the use of tube-wells, but they were few

The tribals and poor, begging for a drop

Problems grew, retreat no option

The suffering of people and the loss to economy, considered mere numbers

People minimised their water usage,

no shower, it all became stinky

water being hoarded in glasses, but not to be used

the king didn’t admit his mistake, arrogance and ego profound

the country stopped, in line it was, to a major disaster

nothing I can do, I am in a queue for starters.


Published by Ankit Pareek