The Grim Reaper and the Old Man.

DISCLAIMER: This is a long poem. Overall not so bad.
By Poetess- Diksha Chhetri.

In the darkest hour of the night,
When the stars are shining and the moon is bright.
Came the grim reaper to reap the soul,
Of a five year old boy as he had been told.

The darkness spread in his presence.
He had taken souls for eons and eons
Of many unsuspecting souls.
He was only doing was he was told.
His eyes glimmered a bright bloody red.
Scars and stories made up for his head.
His faithful scythe he carried in his hand.
And scoured the living unknown land.
His cloak was black and his face
Showed no anger, no love, no hate, no grace.

He finally reached the little house.
Where the little boy lay tucked in like a mouse.
He lay entombed in the the cold.
The doctors had told he would not grow old.
The reaper had come to reap the soul.
Of this little boy as he had been told.

The house was small and dirtier were the mats.
There was only this little boy and no other brats.
Their furniture were creaking old and bad.
Where sat the worried sad old grand dad.
It was a cold chilly winter.
But they had no room heater.
Nor was there any fire at the fireplace.
To set the grim reaper ablaze.
The old man in his late eighties,
Made soup of cabbages and pieces of fish
For his darling little grandson
Who would not grow old enough to be handsome.
The owners of the house,
Were not even rich enough to feed a mouse.
They had gone out to do the odd jobs.
Which would only earn them corn cobs.
Such were the conditions under
Which the little boy was to surrender.
Out of this sad world of greed and hate.
Of poverty and demolition, where poor men prostrate.
Where the evil men eat and be merry.
Where the good men are losing their dignity.

The reaper entered their tiny home.
The old man sensed him like a storm.
He turned around and met those blank eyes.
And the scythe-it was the reapers device.
The moment then completely froze,
Pointed to the boy and said, "He goes,
With me to the eternal land.
His time is up. I hope you understand."

It hit the old man like a lightening had struck.
It was a sign of sheer bad luck.
Then he gathered courage and finally said,
"He is just a little boy, please take me instead."
The reaper still expressionless,
Said he did not want to create a mess.
Old man your time has not yet come.
But the boys life is over before it even began.

This is an absolute injustice.
Take me away, spare my boy please.
The reaper considered this for a while.
But there was no goodness in him. He was vile.
So he said this time with anger,
Old man I am taking this young boy, you cannot wager
Yourself in exchange for his dear life.
Such is the law of nature and it's strife.
The old man scared he was a lot!
There are many things I have brought
in my life. This is my final wish to buy
My grandsons life. I do not want him to die.

My friend suggested these instead of THAT LINE!

The reaper annoyed very much now.
Shouted out like an angry cow.
Brandished his scythe at the old man.
And said, "Very well then stop me if you can."
And he went right through the door.
"I have never met any one like you before".
The old man immediately entered the tiny room.
Where lay his grandson in his doom.

The reaper determined to reap this boy.
And take away the man's bundle of joy.
He said to the reaper once again.
To take his soul, it would be a better bargain.
He had got everything in his life.
A decent job and a beautiful wife.
Loving children and all those little happiness.
A lasting love that did not regress.
I am poor and unable to afford healthy food,
Or else my grandson would be health-wise very good.
I am poor and so my grandson suffers,
But he is a darling boy and be buffers
Al the badness in this world.
He is smart and uncunning and very bold.
He helps everybody in his little way.
He can brighten up anyone's day.
He is good to his fellow mates.
Oh reaper, I am your suitable candidate.

The reaper tired now of the man's perseverance.
Turned away from the little boy and hence,
asked the old man if he was sure.
The granddad nodded and made it clear,
He was a good man, a good granddad.
This little boy was everything he ever had.
He wanted this little boy to live.
A good life being a good man with faith and belief,
That this world is not only dominated by
Bad men and this unruly lying alibi.

So the reaper reaped the old mans' soul.
He did not do as he had been told.
He was not as vile and dreaded.
As people had branded him with hatred.

The old body flopped onto the floor.
The poor couple returned at around four.
Their little son lay in his warm cot.
Rosy cheeks and a good life his granddad had bought.

The poem ends in this final verse.
With the decoration of the old mans hearse.