Choices

In the tiny kingdom of Ranjait,
The Rajah and his courtiers three,
Debated fiercely the affairs of state,
And the pending royal decree.

A momentous event in its history,
Was about to occur soon,
Their little Princess was ready to marry,
With the wedding planned for the next full moon.

The Rajah laid out his royal decree,
The suitor had to pass a test,
A trial in the skill of archery,
It was difficult for many, one that had failed the best.

Far and wide the news spread,
Soon Kings and Princes would arrive to try their hand,
And be the one to win and wed,
The loveliest Princess in the land.

First came the young Prince of Ranthambore,
Majestically attired and on the back of a caparisoned elephant,
Followed by the court jester; a huge bore,
Dressed was he for a beauty pageant.

The Maharaja of Ujjain,
was next: On a prancing charger the color of snow,
Rose petals strewn,
By advancing dancing maidens, adding to the tableau.

Next came an old king vain,
Despite his advancing years,
And problems with back pain,
Decided to join, much to everyone fears.

On and on it went,
Too many princes and kings to name,
Until every one around was spent,
Waiting on those with royal fame.

The day of contest arrived,
It was a  brilliant summer day.
The suitors lined up, dressed,
Ready for the game to play.

The archery test (where sucess eluded even the best),

To remove a nesting bird, atop a pole,
While it sat its eggs, in its nest,
And land it whole, nest and all.

The first attempt was fumbled,
‘Twas wide off the mark,
The suitor was despatched, suitably humbled,
The arrow meanwhile landed harmlessly, in a nearby park.

The princess an avid bird-watcher,
Noted the bird was a rare needletail,
One that was rarely sighted and hard to capture,
As many had tried, to no avail.

With quick presence of mind,
She picked up the garland on the stand,
Turning around she spied a Suitor kind,
And placed it on him, securing his hand.

With that she averted what ornithologists dread,
The untimely dispatch,
Of a species almost extinct, and in the red,
From our backyard patch.

“The Princess Has Chosen”
Proclaimed the crier,
Setting in motion,
The departure of the remaining contingent, entire.

The following day, preparations went on
For the wedding of the royal pair,
The royal subjects were up at dawn,
To celebrate their union with flair.

It is a matter or honor and culture,
Said the grand dames,
To celebrate is in our future,
Lets put an end to these frivolous games.

Under the soothing light
Of the full moon
And with the Royal blessing and everyone’s delight,
The pair were married off soon.

Alas, no one sang the praises of the young wife,
Her kind act went unknown,
She had given up her life,
To secure that of a bird; lone.