He lied in front of a gold statue,
with everything around him gold.
Still, his eyes had tears, he looked worried.
With deep pain, he recalled what happened.
His name was King Midas,
Money he had plenty but greed for more never died.
Richest person on Earth, he wanted to be.
He liked the glow of the shiny yellow metal,
More and more of which he wanted for himself.
His people suffered; there was grief all over,
Midas never cared for any of their well-being.
He yearned for unlimited wealth,
Heavy taxes sucked the blood out of them.
Prayers were offered, to their Goddess everyday,
Midas asked for more, his people asked for support.
The Goddess listened earnestly, figured out whom to help.
One fine morning, She appeared before the King
“Oh Lord Midas, am impressed by your prayer,
Make a wish, and it shall be done.”
King Midas was struck in awe,
All he wanted was nothing but wealth,
But how much would he ask for,
Every amount he felt was smaller.
Astute as he was, struck on a brilliant idea.
Without a thought, he made his wish.
“Oh Mighty Devi, Thank you for visiting me,
Please give me the power, make my touch magical,
Whatever I touch, should turn to Gold”
The Goddess smiled at Midas,
She gave him what he asked for.
A boon for the King was a bane from the Goddess.
At first, Midas was ecstatic,
His entire floor turned to Gold,
He went and touched his bed,
In a moment, it turned to Gold
He went on trying his luck,
Until everything in his palace turned gold.
Midas’s hunger turned from wealth to food,
But grief struck the joyous King soon.
He couldn’t eat food nor quench his thirst.
Anything in his contact, transformed to gold,
But still, he didn't want to lose the power.
Dull and dejected, he went to his open field,
He saw his daughter, singing and playing.
Her sweet voice brought a smile back,
Forgetting all about his power, he took her in his arms,
The next thing he saw was a gold effigy with no life.
Midas was shocked, a few beats skipped,
His cry was painful, he fell speechless.
His wish turned out to be his own resentment.
He prayed to the Goddess, she did not appear.
Looking for answers, he went to his people.
There he saw real grief, real poverty and real hunger.
He was all they needed and he helped them.
He saved the sick people, helped the poor,
Relieved the high taxes, brought happiness to everyone.
That night again the Goddess reappeared,
Midas confessed his mistakes.
Promised to be a good King
And wished his “boon” be taken off.
He saw his little daughter playing in the field again,
The King donated all his money to his people.
He made sure no one in his kingdom was sad,
Then he felt as the wealthiest person on earth.
“Wealth is only a minute part of happiness; the real contentment in life would be in being the reason for joy in every other person's eyes.”
-Raj McKay
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