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Howie
Now that I have all of your attention,
Before I begin, I think I should mention,
How do you know the cat wasn’t happy?
Certainly, your story was cute and sappy.
But you misrepresent the situation
So I must tell my story in frustration.
Memories are more important, you see.
Happiness, not longevity, is key!
The Student’s Story
This story is about a determined man.
It doesn’t matter but I’ll call him Dan.
He was ambitious and wished to be rich;
However, his family was poor which
Meant it was hard to go to a good school.
But all the difficulties were just fuel
For Dan. He did well on his exams
And got scholarships for the best program.
He excelled at his university
And got through all of the adversity.
Everyone else partied but not Dan!
He studied, worked, and followed his plan.
The day arrived for him to graduate
As an honor student; they would elevate
him but his class did not recognize him!
They got his name wrong and Dan looked grim.
He took his diploma and he left quite fast.
But pretty soon it was all in the past.
At a prestigious firm, he was hired.
He was exactly what they desired.
He worked hard and didn’t mind overtime,
And among the new hires, he was prime.
It wasn’t long before he was promoted,
For to his work he was quite devoted.
Everyone went out for drinks after work.
But the invitation Dan would always shirk.
At the office, he often stayed late,
Then to his apartment and to bed, straight.
He would always be to the first to arrive;
In this way, he was able to thrive.
Climbing the ranks, he was soon on the top
And did not notice when the invites stopped.
He was wealthy now and lived that way,
With a penthouse, car, and 401K.
But he couldn’t spend the money he earned
For taking a vacation he spurned.
Work consumed him and became his life.
He didn’t have the time to find a wife.
His coworkers had lives outside of work
But this would cause him his duties to shirk.
So he stayed single and committed.
It was work for which he was quite befitted.
But despite his money, he was depressed.
The pressures of work left him quite stressed.
Watching others live their lives made him mad.
They were moving on without him. Not rad!
He sat at his desk one morning and thought
About all the grief his choices had brought.
His coffee was stale; he was dissatisfied.
Taking a sip, he broke down and cried.
He looked at the cup and thought, This I will yeet!
He threw it against the wall in defeat.
He realized for him, no one really cared
And with that thought, he became really scared.
If he was hurt would anyone realize?
What if he was trapped, and with no help, died?
With these thoughts to fuel him, he took a leave.
He traveled and enjoyed his reprieve.
When he came back, his hours he cut down
And before long, it was true love he found.
Even though he now had a smaller paycheck
He was infinitely happier, heck!
He wouldn’t trade that for any income.
He was ecstatic at what he’d become.
It was only now that he was truly alive;
Making memories he was able to thrive.
With his family, he traveled the Earth.
With the first new experiences since birth.
“The moral of the story, I think you can guess.
Life isn’t measured by work and success.
It’s in memories and friendships we make,
In the adventures and risks that we take!
I don’t think the cat regrets her choices.
When she remembers them she rejoices!
She lived her life to the fullest, she knows.
Everything else fades but on memory goes!”
Howie finished and we were all surprised.
By what a clever story he had devised.
Elizabeth cleared her throat and started,
“I fear my story will be more lighthearted.
I am not sure the moral will be so great.
You two are marvelous in the way you create.
But I’m trying my best; please take pity:
For though I try, I am not that witty!”
We all protested, her story would be grand!
And so we waited for what she had planned...
Author's Note
People have been asking about my writing process so I thought I would share it. It is sadly not that interesting. I pretty much just write out a paragraph or so about the general plot of the story and then I just write out a line and try to keep it about ten syllables. Then I try to get the next one to rhyme. I use a thesaurus and a rhyming website which help me when I get stuck.
For this story, I used one of the stories I read in the Week 10 unit. In the original story, there was a man who wanted to live forever. However, when he achieved immortality he became miserable and returned to life as a mortal. I changed the tale to be about a man who just wants to be rich but then is unfulfilled in life so he becomes more adventurous. This tale is supposed to contrast the Receptionist's Tale from the previous section.
If you want to look into the source story, I have the link below as well as the link to my reading notes.
Bibliography
The Man Who Did Not Wish to Die, Japanese Fairytales,Yei Theodora Ozaki
Reading notes on Unit 10
Photo Credit: pxhere
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