The Carver

Hands bleeding, blood and sweat streaming, he’s done something laudable,
Twenty hours of carving rock in hell, he did the impossible.
The ending siren tore through the ears and cried with a shrill,
“Behold! It’s a living stone swan, but yet it stands still”.
The carver gives out a sigh, his smile knows no bounds,
The audience goes crazy, but his rivals don’t make sounds.
The teary eyed winner is taken to the factory owner, who says:
“Congratulations carver! You’ve done the best one, by God’s grace!
Look at all those feathers, they seem ruffled and yet so clean!
The texture, strength and balance, it looks so pristine!
Its eyes have life in them, as if God carved them Himself,
Its elegance is breath-taking, totally top of the shelf!”
The carver can’t hear them, his dream has come true,
He did something that everyone had told him he couldn’t do.
He reached a place similar to where his idols had been ;
Like Shakespeare did with King Lear, and Ronaldo with his feet.
The owner is still in awe, “How many nights didn’t you sleep?”
“How many days did you train?”
“Astounding! Just lay on this bed here,
And we’ll take out your brain.”

Carver’s shocked to the core, “Excuse me?”
“Yes son that’s what is the prize that makes you legend for eternity!”
“Our metal brain will crown your head, we’ll give you instruction,
You’ll make alluring sculpts and continue production.
You see, we need your hands only, and everything else is anomaly ;
Don’t worry, you’ll be you on weekends and go and meet your family. ”

He thinks at first his exhausted ears have totally gone wrong,
Getting hold of himself, he asks at last, begging his mind to be strong:
“But what about the sleepless nights that you just talked about?
What about all those days when I started to have doubt,
About myself, like what if these were all in vain?
What if I don’t get anything in return for all this pain?
What about all those days when I almost gave up?
When losers called me one of them, but yet I stood up?
What about my dad who sold his stable to just buy me rock?
What about my mom, who starved to keep food in stock?
What about my imagination which makes these casts almost true?
How about we change the world by doing something new?
I refuse to be another slave in this new world of machines.
Where everyone blurts taught words, when did we get so obscene? ”

The frown curves a bit more, owner says
” Then go be a hero!
Go and try changing the system and see it all amount to zero!
Like others before you, they all tried and bit the dust.
And for God’s sake think of your family, if you really must!
They have nothing to live on, they only have you,
So if you want to be a martyr, then they’ll die too.
Your dad brought you rocks? My dad taught me really nice,
If you know what one wants, everyone has a price”

His soul leaves him, the chisel falls from his hand.
He lays down on the bed quietly, he could no more stand.
The smirking owner runs his hand through his hair,
“You’ve been taught wrong son, the world isn’t fair!
The quicker you learn it, the less you’ll be sorry,
Everyone’s a slave in someone else’s story”.