August 22, 2007

Allegorical Absurdity: Three Little Pigs

There once was a pig, who lived in the West
Amid the fields and mountains did this pig rest
Lush blades of green crowning the valley crest
A world of his own, quite different from the rest

But the elements were strong, at the winters' last thaw
The torrents coming down, from which pig could not withdraw
The pressure built with time, exposing the valleys' flaw
So he built himself a home of the sturdiest straw

'twas the finest stalk he could find, this little pig
and so danced the pig, a merry little jig!
not a strand out of place, not a single twig!
a basement for a bunker, did this pig dig!

And along came a wolf, or perhaps her twin!
Poor little pig, his hair standing on his skin!
"Little pig, little pig, let me in!"
"Not by the hair on my chinny chin chin!"

And she huffed, and she puffed, and gave it her all
And though the straw may have shifted, the hut did not fall
When at last the pig saw an escape, and began to crawl
To find another valley to raise another wall

Little time he had to spare, as another wolf was near
Little pig felt exposed, out there in the clear
Little did pig know that it was that time of year
When wolves do their hunting, when pigs should disappear!

And with the help of another, he built a house of wood
"This time they'd come back harder", as any wolf would
The straw hut did well, in the valley it still stood
But a house of oak and pine would teach those wolves good.

And thus the wolf approached, to the hut of oak and pine
As the pigs stood motionless in their little shrine
The hour was near, we'd see the strength of their design!
The pigs in anticipation, thinking they'd be fine.

And thus the wolf approached, with an evilish grin!
But the house was of wood, much to her chagrin
"Little pig, little pig, let me in!"
"Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin!"

And she huffed, and she puffed, to blow the house away
But in spite of heavy puffing, the house would not sway
Annoyed and offended, the wolf was heard to say,
"No fair, I'm a wolf, not a thing of play!"

Still insecure, the pigs thought it best to move
After all, the wolves would eventually find their groove
If they wanted to remain safe, they'd have to improve
And find a solution that mother pig would approve

A third wolf came around, coming from a land far away
Where pigs resist her taunts in houses made of clay
Perhaps this wolf would see where the first two went astray
And catch the little pigs without further delay

The house of wood was strong, but was it strong enough?
Rumour had it that this new wolf was very very tough
Wood may not have lasted against her huff and her puff
To beat this latest threat, they'd need some stronger stuff!

So three pigs conspired, they had to think quick!
This wolf was no slouch, they'd need something thick.
Finally, one pig thought, "why not use some brick?"
The others applauded, "that should do the trick!"

Thus, a hut was built, of the finest mortar and stone.
And the torrents came down harder, the wind would howl and moan
The rain pelted the rooftops, the storm disconnected the phone
And along came the wolf, and this one wasn't alone.

They imagined the walls crashing down, reminiscent of Berlin!
The pigs peeked out in fear, it was about to begin...
"Little pig, little pig, let me in!"
"Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin!"

And so she huffed, and she puffed, and she huffed again
Then blew with all her might, until her lungs were drained
The rustic house of brick was able to resist the strain
And the wolves decided it was time to end their campaign.

The first little pig remained in the house, withdrawn
Thinking the wolf threat was now completely gone
Little did pig know that the threat would respawn
As a fourth hungry wolf awaited on the lawn!

The pig heard a voice, and he called out from within,
"Who awaits on my lawn, and speaks therein?"
She said, "little pig, little pig, let me in!"
"Not by the hair on my chinny chin chin!"

"But it's huffing, and puffing, and going to get cold!"
Confused, the pig decided it was time to be bold.
He cracked open the door, and lo and behold!
Was a friendly little wolf, with a teapot in hold.

"I just wanted to know," she said, "if you'd like some tea.
You already offended my sisters, one, two, and three!
And I thought it would be nice to share, if only you'd agree
We're only trying to be nice and neighbourly."

And thus it became clear, this was no deadly scheme,
All that huffing and puffing was just the call of the steam.
And now poor pig has a reputation to redeem,
Learning that wolves are not always what they seem.

15 comments:

  1. Assalaamu'alaykum wa rahmatu Allah

    Again, I must applaud your skills in writing these allegorical stories, especially in rhyme. Masha'Allah. As always, I enjoy them tremendously. This one hit me differently than your previous. Words, as cryptic as they are, say a lot about the author (more than a bookshelf). If we're at all in sync with interpretations... then I'm glad for you. A wall has crumbled, and maybe there is some light. AlhamduliAllah 'ala kulu haal...may Allah give you success with Him, ameen.

    Sometimes though wolves are exactly as they seem... sometimes. But for the sake of maintaining my sanity, I will have to agree, that sometimes..sometimes.. they're not too shabby :).

    Some lyrics for ya, "I don't need nobody. And I don't fear nobody. Oh, I don't call nobody but you, my One and Only. All that I need in my life." May Allah help us to make Him our priority in our lives and let the wolves facilitate this process, ameen.

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  2. huh? there was a hidden meaning? can't believe i missed it all long :S

    And did you really write this @ 3a? I thought I was a night person. But looks like we have a winner :)

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  3. hah! So how long did it take you to rhyme this all? It must have been painstaking, but thanks :D Wolves are not always what they seem. Pigs, I'm sure, are not always what they seem either.

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  4. Farzeen: Wa'alaykum assalam wa rahmatullah,

    I think you're on to something with your interpretation. Yes, to some extent, a wall has crumbled, a restriction that shouldn't have been a restriction in the first place. I'll leave it at that.

    Hafsa: This does have a very personal meaning, yes, like all of the other posts labelled as Metaphors. Of course, others can interpret it however they wish, or just take it at face value if they like. I would imagine that only one or two of the readers of this blog will know what I'm talking about, though some of the lines are a bit revealing. I wasn't sure whether I should have posted it at all, but I figure it's cryptic enough.

    No, I didn't write this at 3:00am. Actually, I was in bed by 11:15pm, and was thinking about a few decisions I had made over the last few weeks and months, and thought that I should write them down. So I jumped out of bed, fired up my laptop, and started writing, and this silly poem is what came out. It took just over an hour, but the blog is set for East Coast time while I was on the West Coast, so the time displayed here is three hours ahead.

    Asmaa: It took just over an hour, but I cheat - I use RhymeZone to make my life easier. Hey, I'm an engineer, not an artist - I need my tools.

    Pigs may not be what they seem either, but they're still haram. No pork for you.

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  5. so I'm an artist and I use rhymezone too. It's the best. no shame in that.

    ps: just because they're haram, doesn't mean they don't have feelings!

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  6. Masha'Allah, a great poem (that rhymes AND has actual meaning to it - there aren't many who can manage that!)... I like it, and it's given me something to think about also.

    Keep posting!

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  7. Asmaa: Oh, nice - good to know I'm not the only one using RhymeZone. I concur, it is quite an awesome resource.

    AnonyMouse: JazakAllah. The funny thing about this one was that I had thought of writing a Three Little Pigs story a few months ago, but telling an entirely different story. Then when circumstances came up as they did, it seemed like the right template for what has been on my mind recently. This one, I believe, is a lot better than my original idea.

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  8. Assalaamu'alaykum wa rahmatu Allah

    I was thinking...

    Now if this pig did not build sturdy homes
    Where would he have savoured the tea and scones?
    Surely it can't be neighbourly to enter by force
    A wolf must use wisdom, without huffing and puffing, and let things take their course

    But Mr. Pig should know that wolves are misunderstood by many others
    Sometimes unfairly accused, guilty were the Prophet Yusuf's brothers
    While the wolf's intentions were then quite noble
    Its notorious reputation makes it a creature now humble

    No one can blame a decent pig for his cautious ways
    For wolves can be mischievious, especially nowadays
    As I read the tale of this little piggy's fright
    I offer some words of shared insight

    Build your home well and keep it secure
    Let not the impatience of wolves serve as a lure
    Adorn your home with light welcoming only the sincere
    Give confidence its due and live not in fear

    Some wolves and pigs will never transcend an ill reputation
    For they are overwhelmed by their differences and lack a sense of direction.
    But the wise one among them will learn from the past
    And together build a bright future, for eternity it will last.

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  9. I've never heard of Rhymezone so I'll have to check that up to see why you and Asmaa are using it for your poems... suffice to say, the poem was very well written and the hidden metaphor was interesting too.

    Good job... :)

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  10. Farzeen: Wa'alaykum assalam wa rahmatullah,

    Nice poem. :) I hate to nitpick, but perhaps I didn't make it clear enough. Regarding this line, "a wolf must use wisdom, without huffing and puffing, and let things take their course" - the wolf wasn't the one huffing and puffing the whole time. That's only what the pigs thought. "All that huffing and puffing was just the call of the steam." That is, the supposed huffing and puffing was really just the sound of the kettle releasing steam for teatime.

    So, the wolves never really had bad intentions to begin with; the pigs just perceived it to be this way, due to their prejudice (and perhaps, past experience).

    Anyway, still, you've raised some interesting points worth considering.

    Nauman: I think you'll like RhymeZone. It's to silly poetry what a solid and comprehensive API is to enterprise architecture integration.

    Okay, that analogy was probably lost on almost everyone here... but that's what's on my mind these days. :)

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  11. Wowie Wowie WOW! =D

    If I'd written something like that, I would have run around showing it to every little kid! :) That's an amazing poem, no matter what rhyme software you used to help you along. :)

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  12. MashAllah its an amazing poem and its hard to believe that you wrote it in just one hour

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  13. Ameera: Thanks, you're much too kind. This was certainly fun to write, but I wouldn't call it "amazing" though; when I read over it myself after publishing, there are some stanzas I want to rearrange. But I'll leave it as is.

    Iman: I think when writing something with some personal meaning, it becomes very easy. After al, whatever lessons there are in this story are lessons I've been learning myself for the last year almost. I'm still learning.

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  14. Assalamu'alaikum

    *smile*...talk about new age of communication. It's no wonder people face communication barriers, it's all in riddles...haha.

    Oh dear...subhan'Allah.

    'Lil piggy, 'lil piggy use your instict before you check for a steam pot. Though some might come with a pot of tea, not all wish to share, you see?

    Brave wolf, effort is a must but don't fuss. Be it friendship you're after or sustenance it all comes from the Almighty so embrace life with the understanding "what's done is done", Alhamdulilah.

    May the Almighty make this journey for all an easy one, and instill in us wisdom to understand each other...ameen

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  15. Assalamu alaykum,

    Someone came to my blog searching for "confused pigs"! And it got me to look at my pig's poem. I should say, I probably had too much free time on my hand, or whatever made me write it was way too important! Haha.. the best part is, I don't remember. I think I had deduced your poem too.. but now, it's a fog again :S

    Meh, hope life's good!

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