The King of the Mountains ruled the land
His subjects thrived under his caring hand
The King of the Mountains was full of joy
He loved making toys for every girl and boy
The king’s reign was powerful and long
His years on the throne stretched on and on
The king’s universal acclaim was his boast
But there was one individual who loved him most
This boy grew up in the mountainous kingdom
Enjoying his childhood of toys and freedom
This boy grew up quickly, no longer a child
But his love for the king never became mild
His respect for the king grew as he grew old
And thankfulness kept him warm in the cold
No longer content to be thankful inside
The man would thank the king, he did decide
‘I’ll build a great large monument,’ said he
‘A monument that the whole kingdom will see’
The man dropped everything, his mind made
‘I’ll carve out time to carve every day’
That’s exactly what he did atop a mountain peak
Day after day and long week after long week
Hammer and chisel became his only friends
As he formed a statue out of scraps, odds and ends
It took all he had, his time and all his money
And every single day whether rainy or sunny
He sculpted the monument unto perfection
Only the best would convey his affection
Weeks turned to months with his back bent
Until not only months but three years were spent
The man took a step back and admired his work
‘Wait until the king sees this’ he thought with a smirk
A beautiful likeness of the king returned his smile
A wooden and carefully-crafted lifesize profile
‘I’ll cover up the statue, with a curtain conceal
Then gather up the town for the grand reveal’
The man turned to descend the mountain at last
But what he saw next caused his heart to beat fast
Every peak in the kingdom looked like his own
Monuments all over, paying tribute to the throne
He had been too consumed, too busy to see
That every townsperson had the same idea as he
‘I built a monument, come and see, come and see!
I finished my statue of the king,’ cried he
But his neighbors did not listen, hear or heed
They had monuments, and his they did not need
The man’s eyes fell and he began to plea
‘Just one visit to my statue’ he asked on bent knee
Alone he cried on his mountain, face wet with tears
This wasn’t the outcome he imagined in his worst fears
Hours later, the sun rose and with it a new day
The night had washed the man’s sorrows away
‘I’ll try a different approach, another tactic, something new
I’ll invite the king himself, surely he won’t deny me too’
So he entered the throneroom of the toymaker king
And asked ‘Do you have a moment? I made you something’
The old ruler laughed and shook his head
‘There are bigger monuments all around,’ he said
The man stared blankly and stood in silence
Then walked away like a dog without guidance
‘My hard work wasted, all for nothing, all for nought
My time and efforts were useless’ the man thought
‘To think—I loved that king—how foolish could I be?
There’s no love left for him in my heart, believe you me’
Perhaps the man should have slept on it or waited
But his feet were taking him to the likeness he now hated
‘I’ll unmake the monument he never deserved
Nothing in the king’s image should be preserved!’
He stormed up the mountain and threw his tools aside
Destroying the statue would be the next thing he tried
But something stayed his hand and stopped the blow
A simple thought came into his mind and began to grow
The statue would not stand for the king and his audacity
But it represented his own creativity, talent, and tenacity
Slowly, he realized ‘The king was never the key…’
‘It was the journey itself,’ he urged his heart to agree
‘I became what I wanted to be, what I admired
I became whom I loved, to whom I aspired’
He allowed the pride of his craftsmanship to return
A spark of happiness in his heart began to burn
No longer pleading, the man returned to bent knee
And inscribed below the statue, his initials, TBC
