A king, despite a lifestyle opulent,
Was ridden by dominant discontent.
One day he chanced upon a servant,
Who seemed so happy and content!
The ruler asked him, “How come?”
“How come, you live in the slum,
And yet are so cheerful and happy,
States, that evade me constantly?”
The servant replied with humility,
“I am not gentry, Your Majesty,
My needs are so very, very less.
Little things give me happiness.”
At the servant’s reply, he winced!
And was still not really convinced.
This reply perplexed the king,
And set him into deep thinking.
The king called an advisor he trusted,
To whom he told in a tone disgusted,
“How can a man who has hardly anything,
Be happy and contented, but not his King?”
The advisor heard the king’s woes,
And said the answer he surely knows.
“That servant is not a member of Club 99,
Get him into it and then all would be fine!”
“What is Club 99”, asked the king,
“Tell me all about it, everything!”
“Oh king! About the Club 99 to really know,
Place a bag of 99 gold coins at his window.”
When the servant saw a bagful of gold coins,
Little realising that Club 99 he’s about to join,
He shouted with joy at this unexpected bounty,
From a kind and generous-hearted His majesty!
He then counted and 99 coins of gold he found,
But one niggling doubt began to him astound.
No one would surely 99 gold coins leave,
There was one more coin, he did believe.
For the missing coin he looked everywhere,
A collection of 100 coins only seemed fair.
Finally exhausted, he took a great decision,
That he’d work hard & complete his collection.
From that day on, the servant’s life changed,
He was overworked and from family estranged.
His quest for the 100th gold coin became elusive,
And disappointment made him harsh and abusive.
His frustrations got the better of him,
As hopes for another coin became dim.
He stopped singing while at work.
Even minor issues started to irk.
Witnessing this transformation drastic,
The King was puzzled yet quite ecstatic!
For despite the 99 gold coins, his servant,
Was no longer happy, cheerful or content.
He called his advisor to know the cause,
Who said, “Your Majesty, this is because,
Your servant too has joined the 99 Club,
A club that is an exclusive and rare hub,
Of those having enough to be contented,
But their greed has their lives dented.”
“Striving for that extra, they get obsessed,
And spend a lifetime in being possessed,
By a burning desire for ‘that one final thing’
Over which they lose sleep and everything.”
Never ending desires and aspirations,
Cause distress, grief and frustrations.
To hurt people around us, we tend,
Ready to rules and principles bend.
So friends, that is THE CLUB 99,
Join at your peril and pay the fine! |
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Comments on this Poem
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Thank you all so much for liking this one, and your positive feedback and appreciation, Anjana Mehta Bhalla, Kulbir and AA.
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So true and so meaningful. Where do our desires, needs, wants and aspirations end?
Let us awaken to the spiritual and eternal truth,that what we are seeking, we already have...within us! Let us start the flow outward, and find that missing bliss, contentment and peace.
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Padmaja,
Great poem and profound wisdom - glad I read it.
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Beautiful story and msg. Love these lines - "Never ending desires and aspirations, Cause distress, grief and frustrations. To hurt people around us, we tend, Ready to rules and principles bend."……… the quest sets in which make us unhappy. 'The Club 99' interesting name.
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