In a little pond,
Six feet below,
By the edge of a forest,
Lived a frog and a crab.
Both there by default,
Unknown and unheard,
They let their tribes flourish,
Oblivious of the world outside.
All seemed well,
Till one fine day,
Each thought it was time,
To choose an able leader.
Their tribes had multiplied, you see.
Order and governance was now mandatory.
But, who should be the leader?
Was the question, prime on hand.
The clan got together.
They deliberated and they discussed.
They lost sleep over the issue.
For, each thought, he was the best.
The foolish frog gave it a thought,
And let the crab lead first.
One learns from other’s mistakes
And so he displayed magnanimity.
Soon, the leader was elected.
He chose a high pedestal,
A solid rock, by the edge of the pond,
To be his seat of authority.
The frog sat by and watched.
He chuckled and he winked.
He seemed to be so sure,
That the crab would ne’er succeed.
The crab leader began the climb,
Up the slippery, mossy, mud wall,
To reach the rocky pedestal,
That was to be his seat of power.
But lo and behold!
Every step upward the crab took,
He slipped down several more!
The climb upward seemed so very tough!
Holding onto a pebble,
He glanced below to see the trouble.
What he saw was unbelievable!
A string of crabs, held on to him, weighing him down.
The frog let out a croak,
Confident now of the crab’s failure.
His seat of power, now ensured…
Or so, he thought.
Frogs make excellent bosses,
The world knows it.
Until… their team members
Challenge the bosss’s ability.
The frog began the stiff climb,
Giving away multiple instructions,
To those who were left behind,
To prove his superior authority.
While some below listened,
There were many who were agitated.
They believed in equality..
Why should one alone rise and rule?
They showed their disapproval.
Each began to climb the slippery wall,
To reach the seat of power,
Which was coveted by all.
The loud cacophony of the frogs
Soon attracted an eagle.
Who perched herself on the royal seat,
To grab the winner.
And so it was, dear friends,
The eagle’s hunger satisfied, flew away.
The frogs ran back to the waters
And the crab never reached the top.
Mrs Gowri Ramachandran, NRO Covai Chinmayam RC