The stingy magpie lived in a tree,
and hoarded away all he could see.
when other magpies came to play,
the stingy magpie said "go away!"
"You can't have any of my seeds,
my nuts, my gravel, or my beads!
You cannot prosper at my cost!
I'll keep it for myself! Get lost!"
All the other magpies eschewed
the stingy one who was so rude.
But the stingy magpie did not care.
He had all he needed there.
and so he sat in his tree alone
and and listened to his gramophone.
while the other magpies all had fun
the stingy magpie had none.
Then one hard winter he went without.
All his hoard had given out!
He sat inside his nest alone,
and starved till he was skin and bone.
He was so weak he could not fly,
and so hungry, he nearly died.
when a single magpie came to his tree,
and asked of him "what troubles thee?"
The stingy magpie started to speak,
as a single tear rolled down his beak.
"Oh, my friend, I've been a fool,
and broken the most important rule.
I've horded seeds and crumbs of toast,
but forsaken that which matters most!
All those things are broken ends,
what matters most in life are FRIENDS!"
the Magpie was moved by the hungry bird
and said "that's the wisest thing I've heard.
Now that you've had a change of heart,
It's not too late for a fresh new start.
I'll give you some of my sagebrush seeds
and will attend to all your needs"
And so it was that the once-stingy magpie
made his first friend, and did not die.
Author notes
Written June 3rd, 2004
In a list
A contest entry
- Practicing Wisdom (Contest) by .
400 points, ended October 10, 2004, 19 entries
Bronze trophy winner
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest - Shel Silverstein by RatherImaginative.
875 points, ended December 3, 2007, 15 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
What did you think
Comments
1 - 12 of 12
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This poem carries a wonderful life lesson in it for children (and anyone, really): go ahead and be selfish, greedy, a leech, and push others away until you're all alone, but by the time you regret it, it'll be way too late. It's kinda pushing my line limit rule, but since it's an engaging narrative, I'll allow it. Thanks so much for entering my contest!
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What a fantastic moral to this story. I enjoyed the the rythem and the rhyme's cadence that carried through out. A wonderful piece to read.
Christine
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This is a very good piece, a little rough around the edges in places where the meter stumbles a little but it gets a very powerful message across which I think compensates for that. It is a very good message my friend
thanks for sharing
take care
sanity
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Well done, Tahuti!
Very Aesop-like as a moral fable, and good rhyme scheme.
(You missed one: S4, L5:'hoarded'
)
~ G
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thanks for the correction.
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Nicely done
This is a lovely story with a great moral. The rhythm and rhyming are very sweet.
You have used horde, where I think you mean hoard. Also in the last stanza you say to late, perhaps too is what you mean.
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I love this poem - but its wording and cleverness is a little grown up for the nursery – I will try it on my Grandkids – but I may have to rephrase my translation a little – it is a wonderful story – and probably true. . Albert.
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Congrats on your poem. Beautifully rhymed.
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This was a great write my friend. I liked your rhyme scheme and the cute little story this told with a moral. You did an excellent job on this. Congratulations on the trophy, it was most deserving. Take care and Have fun. Steve
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Aww! Adorable, and has a good moral. I love those kind of poems. And think they are especially good for children. Great thinking!
One minor, itsy bitsy thing. In the second stanza you have two "ands" and and <-- I still understand it, commen sense lol.. Just thought I'd let you know, due to the rules. *shrugs*
Still great, I enjoyed it - good luck! -
YOU did a fine job on this piece~ YOU are really good at writing children's pieces...
I am good at reading them and telling the story~
Just need to work at writing them down....lol
Best wishes to you in the contest
and much love~Desire
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A most wonderful childrens poem with a very good moral to it.
i really can imagine a whole group of children sat there thoroughly enjoying having this read to them
Well done. I really loved this.
Thankyou for entering my contest and i wish you good luck.
Ann
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