“A weary sun will hide
To give a new night birth.
The sun then goes to the other side
Of our blessed Mother Earth.” The problem seemed to be solved.
The great man saw this.
He went to get involved.
For attention he could not miss. The freak’s words had merit.
An advantage had been gained,
But the great man could not bear it.
His status must be maintained. The freak’s words he twisted
With his eloquent speech.
His charisma could not be resisted.
It was he who would teach. He took the freak’s idea
And made it his own.
No man would be right
Except he alone. He devised his own story
Using the freak’s word.
He would take the glory
And make the freak seem absurd. “He is not entirely correct.”
The great man thus began.
“I mean no disrespect
But I am, of course, a great man!”
“He was on the right track.
This I won’t deny.
What truth may he lack,
I will attempt to supply. He does not know, it seems,
That our grateful relation
To the Sun’s warm beams
Lies in the Earth’s rotation. If you but wait,
This problem I will solve.
Upon its axis straight,
Does the Earth revolve. As our great God
Is wont to create,
Upon this imaginary rod
Does the Earth rotate. The sun remains still
While the Earth moves and spins
Where the sun’s warmth may fill
A new day on Earth begins. Just as the moon is the reason
For waves in the ocean
The change of the season
Is the Earth in Her motion. It is basic science.
The sun could never hide.
Our Earth is in complete reliance
Of the Sun on every side.”
The girls were amazed
At this great display of speech.
Into the great man’s eyes they gazed
As he proceeded to teach. A lesson he had taught
Not unlike a story compiled
From a borrowed thought
With it’s author left reviled. The freak was appalled
Watching innocence beguiled.
The girls were enthralled
While the great man smiled. Who was being deceived?
The freak felt some dismay.
The great man the girls believed.
And the freak just walked away. It seemed childish to contest.
He saw no reason to fight.
He thought best not to protest.
Both of their answers were right. Over time the great man grew
To earn a great man’s reputation.
His words would cause much ado
And even some speculation. A few weeks quickly went by
During which time came a threat.
No rain had fallen from the sky,
But the ground seemed to be wet.
Water trickled like blood from a gash.
Soon the streets turned to mud.
People could not walk without a splash.
There was fear that the town would flood. Slowly, this problem would develop.
The water would continue to run.
Eventually, the whole town it would envelop
If something was not soon done. Water does not feel sorrow nor care
Wherever it trickles and roams.
The people were becoming more aware,
For it was soon in their homes. To the great man the people went
For some kind of solution.
There must be a way to prevent
Any further ground dilution. The great man promised thus,
“To you I can assure,
For any problem threatening us
For sure there is a cure!” “I will stop this silly little flood.
Upon the great man you can rely.
The ground may be covered in mud
But, somewhere, must a solution lie!” In his office the great man sat
Staring at the water on the floor.
He knew not how to deal with that,
But he knew there would be more.
Desperately trying to think of a plan
He repeatedly read the plaque on the wall,
“Here is a Great Man
He will save us all!” The sparkling water had a sense of beauty
As it reflected in the plaque.
A painful reminder of his duty,
A leader must never slack. So, eagerly, he donned his heavy boots,
And ventured forth for a walk
Through a series of muddy routes,
For to the people he must talk. The great man noticed one man solitary
As he trekked a turbid trail.
To the woods with buckets he did carry
In a struggling effort his home to bail. Though his face he could not see,
He knew that this man to be clever and brave.
He could not dwell on who it could be
For the great man had a town to save. He thought of the people as his duty required
To give them this instruction.
By this sight he was inspired
To save the town from destruction. “Together we must pull!
This I must accent!”
So each man scooped a bucket full
And into the woods with the water they went.