I was sitting by the paddy field, in the sun, troubled by a question.
What defines us?
I asked from the sky 🌅
I posed the same question
To the clouds floating by ☁️
Is it the colour of our skin? 💁♀️💁🏿♂️
Or the clothes we wear? 👘👗👚👖
The things we argue about 👉👈
Or the beliefs that we share? ✝️🔯☪️
Then I heard a giggle 🤭
From the dense thicket across
I turned my head and saw him
Oh, he looked like a real boss
Among the tiny flowers 🌸
On a flimsy vine he sat 🌿
Dressed like a Frenchman
Complete with a béret hat 👨🎨
Enchanté! Monsieur!
Je m’appelle Théodore, he said
I am a famous philosopher
You can simply call me Ted
Oh, well hello, Ted. 🤝
And he said,
I know you have a question ❓
With no answer, you can see
Would you like a little stroll
Across the field with me?
Why not, buddy?
So we walked in silence.
The tender paddy was lush 🌾
It swayed like a screen
In the middle of the field
I saw
Ted was suddenly green! 💚
He stopped to smell a lotus 🪷
That was smiling in a muddy sink
And that was when I noticed
Oh God!
Ted was turning pink! 🩷
The mangos in the tree 🥭
Were ripe, sweet, and mellow
As he jumped on a low-hanging bunch
Wait a minute,
Ted was the same yellow! 💛
He took a sprightly leap
Splitting the air as he flew
Against the azure sky
Wow!
For a moment Ted turned blue! 💙
He landed on a lily 🌷
Sending pollen in flight
I swear on what I saw
Yes,
Ted was slowly turning white 🤍
He panted as he climbed 🌳
A tree trunk, with a frown
The answer was blowing in the wind
Seriously!
As Ted changed into brown 🤎
Donc, Monsieur, mon ami
I hope now you can see 👀
It’s nothing in the outside
That defines you and me
Throughout this short stroll
I changed my style and trend
But, monsieur, you know very well
I’m still Ted, your old friend 🫡
No matter what you wear
As long as you are good and kind
What really really matters is…
The love you harbour inside 🥰 Ta-da!!! 🎉
Ahem!
I live in the bustling city 🏙️
Among the milling crowd
Finally, it was a chameleon 🦎 (seriously??)
Which made my doubts uncloud 🌤️
I smiled to myself, then laughed 😂
And turned to thank him
My heart squeezed for a moment 💔
Alas,
He was nowhere to be seen 🫥