Festival of Harvests (2)

One another because their

Father does not want

Dusts to be raised among

Them. Thus, none of them

Really knows the extent

Of work on each person’s

Farmland because they would

Leave early for farm and

Would return home late.

This “slow and steady” guy

Would leave house when

The cockcrows before dawn

And would not be back

Home until late in

The night. Others thought because

He has known that

He is slow and may

Not be able to meet

Up with others he has added

Hunting into his farm work

Unknown to them that

Nothing of such happened. Though

He knows he is slow and has

Modified his methods of working

When his father would speak

About his children of those who would

Likely make appreciable impact among

His sons, he would talk about

His first and last sons. For

They are very fast and very hardworking

He neither dreams nor talks about

The second son.

What he would say of

Him is “I know he cannot

Beg for food, but for him to

Cause ripples or create

Record among the successful

Farmers in the island that

Is mostly unlikely, hardly to

Dream of” he would say

During the festival of

Harvests when this second son

Announced that he would also

Like to contest with others to his siblings

They cannot but laugh

Him to scorn saying those

Of them who are fast

And hardworking never dreamt of such

They are not going to

Compete at the contest because s

Their works are far cry

From their father’s works

Yet their father’s works

Are even behind the

Last year’s third place winner

How would they go

And mock themselves at the

Venue? They have resolved that

They would work more

And maybe during the next festival of harvest

The following year they would make

Attempt at contesting with others.

The softly spoken person who is the

Second son, whom some say his personality is phlegmatic

Would reply them that, “you all are

Not even sure of next year

With your utterances when I

Was thinking we shall all take the

Farmers in the island like

Storm this year to announce

To them that five sons of the

Same father has arrived and

Let others tie their girdles well

For we are in for business.

Well, never mind either I lose

Or become mocked I am going to try my luck

At the contest this year” he said

They all wished him luck

As he leaves them. In the

Meanwhile, people have been

Talking about his farm

Among themselves in the island

But those who are talking

About his farm did

Not know him for when

They pass through his farmland

He would either be by the stream

That passed through his farmland

Resting or on a small rock

Where his shelter is. The law

Of the land does not allow

Anyone to enter another man’s farm except

You know the person. For

Entering without knowing the

Person and the person alleges

That you enter there you would be

Banned for five years

During which time you

Would be assigned as servant

Under the winner or

Working for at the community

Farm for it is because you

Are jobless that is why you

Could enter another man’s farm

They would say, thus, they

Need to find work for a jobless

Person. Since none wants to

Pass through such ridicule

And discipline each person faces

His work strictly, no meddling

With other people’s affairs.

Even the person who you know

Is the owner of a farm

Except the person is there

At the edge of the farm

You would not want to enter the farmland

Thus, the people do

Not really know that the

Second son, the “slow” one

Was the one who owns the farm

And everyone is expecting

To know the person

During the festival of the

Harvest, that is the revelation day, the day of reckoning

He went and employ servants

Who would help him

Carry the harvested products

To the harvesting pavilion

As his nature was,

Slow and sometimes called

Sluggish one by people

He has been harvesting those products

For the past fifteen days

Because it is said that

A person with a sunken eye

Sockets starts crying from a far place

A month earlier he has

Contacted servants at the market

Square and has told them

That he would need their services

In a fortnight time, promising

To pay them well because

Those people were expecting

The regular people to work for