Dheera's Workshop of Whimsy

Mighty Giri was king of the herd,

An original romantic, he loved Bulbul bird.

He neglected his duties and instead,

He wrote love sonnets in his head.

Smitten and mushy, and by love blinded,

 Giri became most absent minded.

The careless Bulbul was very amused,

She teased Giri hugely, for she was used,

To baiting the suitors on her list,

Then suddenly vanishing into the mist.

Bulbul was smart she wanted to study

And this she confided to her elephant buddy

She promised to leave him a reminder to cherish,

But without her, Giri knew he would perish.

Soon it was time so Bulbul packed her things,

She kissed the weeping elephant and flew off on silver wings.

Giri watched until she was a dot in the sky,

He cried hot tears as he waved goodbye.

The grieving King elephant abandoned his post,

The herd left reluctantly, heading for the coast.

Giri yearned, he fretted he sighed and he wept,

Until the worried monkey Kalandar leapt,

Upon his back and gave him a shake

?Get up,? He said, ?and look for Bulu?s keepsake.?

Giri wiped his eyes and honked his trunk,

He lifted himself from his tear drenched bunk,

Then sticking close to the sympathetic monk,

He started this search, from the dugout of the skunk.

They hunted high, they hunted low,

Up in the mountain, along the river?s flow.

The elephant was certain that he would spot,

What Bulu had left him, like a shot.

Then one morning as the monkey sat flossing,

Upon Giri?s head, as they cleared a crossing,

Giri stopped, he stared, moved back,

?cause lying there on the railway track,

Was a perfect, enchanting light blue egg

 Within squashing distance of his great foreleg!

And strewn near it, gently touched by the breeze,

Lay Bulu?s tail feathers, as vivid as you please!

The elephant danced, he jiggled, he paced,

While monkey got jolted, nearly displaced.

And then with an almost graceful skip,

A twist, a turn and a final fillip,

Giri landed near the egg and then the hunk,

Encircled it lovingly with his velvet trunk.

He wept happy tears, he fussed and he cooed,

And from that moment, to this egg he was glued.

The egg was unremarkable, as bird?s eggs go,

But to Giri it had a cosmic glow.

Without food or water the elephant lay sprawled,

With Kalandar getting increasingly appalled,

And then one day, it began to rain,

Thunder was heard? and the whistle of a train!

The noise disturbed the grazing cattle,

It made the rail track shake and rattle,

The monster train rounded the bend,

Giri lay still, trying to pretend,

That nothing untoward was afoot,

?Get up!? screamed monkey, ?Or you?ll go ka-put!?

This cargo train was on a fine mission,

It carried encyclopedias, the latest addition.

The engine driver was in a great hurry,

Delivering the books was his immediate worry,

By slamming the brakes, he was just able to manage,

To avert gory bloodshed and certain damage.

He hopped off the train raving and ranting,

He ran towards Giri, frothing and panting.

But when he heard, the touching story,

He applauded Giri, and covered him with glory.

The driver then parked his train right there,

With it?s black nose almost touching the rear,

Of the prone, dutiful and loyal beast.

The driver built a fire and organized a feast.

Many months passed, without a peep from the bird,

 Giri sang the sweetest egg-lullabies ever heard.

The driver and the monkey helped with egg-sitting,

They became close friends, as was truly be-fitting.

Then one day, a new hope was born,

The wind whispered,

?The educated Bulu will be back by dawn!?

Giri had a mud bath, he washed till he shone,

He hugged the precious egg and waited for the morn.

When Bulu arrived, educated and bright,

She was in for quite a fright!

As she flew past the railway track,

She spied Giri lying there, unmoving and slack!

Bulu crash landed on his great head,

Saying, ?Oh Giri, my dear, you looked quite dead!?

Giri smiled widely, his face disjointed,

Then gently uncurling his trunk, he pointed,

To the light blue egg, the focus of his life,

He yearned to ask Bulu to be his wife!

The Bulbul was clever and newly enlightened,

Her interpersonal skills were honed and heightened,

She puffed out her feathers and straightened her scarf,

She took a deep breath, to suppress the laugh,

Which was starting from, the tips of her dainty toes,

And threatening to escape from her delicate nose!

?What is that? That bluish orb?

And who gave you this, looking after job??

?That?s your egg, Bulu, its what you left me,

I?ve loved and cherished it, as well as you can see!

?That?s a pebble!? Bulu said with a wiggle,

?I left you my tail feathers!? she disclosed on a giggle.

The dam burst then and Bulu bird laughed,

While Giri lay blushing, feeling quite daft.

Bulu scented the air with the kisses she blew,

Blushing Giri chewed on a sprig of bamboo.

Then making the most brilliant decision of her life,

 Bulbul bird agreed to be the elephant?s wife!