The last thing that a donkey did before going off to
sleep; was to kick loads of dust in vicinity; swish
its tail wildly in sheer contentment,
The last thing that the whale did before going off to
sleep; was to glide gleefully through the dark waters;
masticating scores of small fish with stupendous
relish; as it eventually settled on the coral reefs
for its nocturnal slumber,
The last thing that the lion did before going off to
sleep; was to thunderously roar; letting his voice
reverberate loud and blaring through the entire
forest; licking its paws in complete contentment,
The last thing that the leaves did before sleep; was
to sway gently with the breeze; whisper to the wind in
the mystical voice their umpteenth tales of the day;
as they curled up their surface to seek volumes of
cozy comfort,
The last thing that the frog did before going off to
sleep; was to jump about in animated exhilaration;
croak a trifle in its exhausted voice; letting all
insects pass infront of his nose; as it blended its
slimy body with the sprouting shoots of lush green
grass,
The last thing that the peacock did before going off
to sleep; was to spread its kingly feathers to a full
plumage; perch up blissfully in its nest on the tree;
as it nourished its eggs with gallons of passionate
air drifting from its beak,
The last thing that the stars did before going off to
sleep; was to tenderly kiss the clouds which swept
past; shimmer gingerly; lost in a world of enchanting
fantasy,
The last thing that the slave did before going off to
sleep; was to serve his master a glass of revitalizing
water; tucking himself as far as he could; within his
threadbare belongings to face the chilly night,
The last thing that the prince did before going off to
sleep; was to sip royal pints of grape wine; fondle
the entire ensemble of his opalescent jewels; adding a
twinkle to his eye as he stretched his legs into an
ocean of laziness,
The last thing that the snake did before going off to
sleep; was to wander about rampantly in the
wilderness; devouring newly hatched eggs with its
vicious teeth; as it crawled in its burrow to evade
the freezing snow flakes descending from the sky,
The last thing that the dancer did before going off to
sleep; was to frantically gyrate her body; igniting
loads of cheer and smiles; as she collapsed like a
dead heap on the floor; with her swollen lids
incorrigibly refraining to open till the crack of
dawn,
The last thing that the tortoise did before going off
to sleep; was to poke its neck as far as possible;
greedily absorbing the tenacious moonlight; as it
turned topsy-turvy on its shell; to feast on the
placid cool lingering in the atmosphere,
The last thing that the Bar Man did before going off
to sleep; was to swim in a deluge of inebriating
whisky; sight his reflection bleary eyed in the same;
as he fell on his feet; finally succumbing to the
tumult and fatigue he had suffered in the day,
The last thing that the Politician did before going
off to sleep; was to make surreptitious phone calls to
his contacts spread far and wide; admonishing his
guards stringently to be on the vigil all night,
The last thing the mosquito did before going off to
sleep; was to incessantly suck blood from the flesh of
all those already fast asleep; as it had the biggest
laugh of its life waking up everybody; and only then
settling into a state of perennially contented rest,
The last thing that the dog did before going off to
sleep; was to wag its tail vigorously; daintily suckle
at its bowl of milk; as it stuffed its nose deep into
the recesses of its masters quilt,
The last thing that the pig did before going off to
sleep; was to protrude its nose in a stack of fresh
garbage dumped by the neighbors, as it prepared to
make its bed; amidst a pile of soiled paper and
unconsumed sandwich,
The last thing that the laborer did before going off
to sleep; was to emit the loudest yawn of his life;
uninhibitedly curse his boss for making him slog like
an ant under the sweltering heat of the Sun; as he
splashed water in the scorching mud around; clutching
his treasured possession's close to his chest; as he
took a vow to never wake up and work again,
And the last thing that I did before going off to
sleep; was to thank my God for bestowing upon me such
a beautiful life; recount to my mother even the most
minuscule of thing that I had undergone in the day;
and kiss my beloved on her forehead; before
surrendering inevitably to her embrace and thereby
give a new definition to the night…
(c) (r) copyright-2004, by nikhil parekh. all rights reserved.



