The Rat and the Crow
The rat and the crow.
Both sought scraps,
needing little from me.
I offered them bits of bread and meat
left over from my morning meal.
They hurried away
pleased with their meager gifts.
The next morning I was approached again -
this time by three rats and the crow with a pearl.
The rats chipped and chirped happily,
accepting food but staying for a moment.
The crow gifted the pearl,
leaving with just bread.
My heart felt healed
by these simple gifts.
A new family,
A reminder of what was lost.
The original was told in a now dead language. While it has survived translation, and even eventually being written down, much of its original context and meaning has been lost to time. It is still frequently read by those grieving loss. The rat represents welcoming into a community or family, and remains a very strong symbol of communal and familial bonds on Obor. The crow represents the cycle of life and remembrance of those lost - the latter part represented by the pearl in the poem, though. Another lesson of the poem, argued to be a more modern addition, is that of simple giving. The bread is a symbol of giving little, but that being enough to be welcomed and loved. Often the bread is contextualized to be simply time, or presence, and not necessarily a requirement to offer anything of substance.
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