By: Jehangir Saleh
Written: January 17, 2001
There is a frail homeless man at his deathbed lying in the center of the town. A gentle and learned scribe is writing in his journal unaware of the condition of the person beside him.
A greedy king is taking his usual stroll around town. The town’s peoples bow to him as he crosses their path.
Jehangir: Oh lord, a dirty street person, the filth of my marvelous city.
Jacky: Please your greatness, if you could just spare some food?
Jehangir: Refrain from speaking to me! You and your kind are a shame and disgrace to my city.
The young scribe who was writing a poem begins to read it out loud.
Haris: The shooting star sails across the sky,
It’s eternal beams every glowing,
It travels far within the night,
Never stopping nor slowing.
Jehangir: Pipe down scribe, if I wanted to hear rubbish I would summon my mule to speak.
Haris: Your highness, please do not speak of my work in that manner.
Jehangir: Who is going to stop me? You (laugh) you are no match for my guards.
Jacky: Please your royalness, I ask you again if you will spare some bread crumbs?
Jehangir: I will not tell you again, do not speak to me!
Haris: This poor homeless man, he is dying of starvation. You are the richest man in the country and yet you turn down his plea for a piece of bread? What causes you to be so cruel?
The scribe takes a piece of bread out of his pocket and hands it to the homeless man
Here you go my friend
Jacky: Thank you sir, you are most kind.
Jehangir: How dare you question me! How dare you defy me!
(He snatches the bread out of the homeless man’s hand and stuffs it in his pocket)
Haris: This man is dying of hunger, you are dying of wealth. Why don’t you two trade?
Jehangir: Are you trying to tell me what to do? I can have you hung!
Haris: The people of this town used to pray to God. Now the people of this town and God pray to you! You have lead us to live in poverty raising the taxes and giving all the money to yourself. Your highness may I ask you what you do with all the wealth?
Jehangir: A raving idiot certainly will not lecture me! You will receive the punishment of death!
As the king called to his guards the scribe began to speak.
Haris: I am afraid an innocent man has already received that punishment.
The two look down at their feet and there lays the homeless man that had stopped breathing.
Haris: (Bends down for a closer look)
He is dead. We have killed him.
Jehangir: What do you mean WE have killed him. You have killed him.
Haris: We both killed him. You took away his bread and I didn’t stop you.
Jehangir: I would choke the lies out of your dirty mouth. I banish you from this land forever! Leave now.
As the scribe leaves he recites a poem out loud.
Haris: The devil is bright in this land,
In the form of a king he does stand.
Lusturous gold, riches and wealth,
His cast iron heart refuses to melt.
The king carried on with his daily stroll. No one bowed before him.