The Moose, the Goose and the Wizard of Refuse

Once upon a time a Moose
Said to a solitary Goose
‘Why, oh why am I so wooly?
And why do creatures think I’m a bully?’
‘Well,’ the Goose replied
‘That’s because you’re too tongue-tied
To talk to creatures and wish them morning
And to shoot a smile ‘round the turning’.

The Moose’s ears drooped
His tiny tail looped
‘Am I so bad?’ he moaned
In his baritone so well toned
The Goose stomped up and down
Upon his face was a peculiar frown
‘There is a way,’ he said at last
‘To make you popular very fast’
‘Tell me, tell me,’ implored the Moose
‘What in the world do I have to use?’
‘Ga-ha-ha,’ guffawed the Goose
‘Follow me and naught will you lose
In fact, Moose, you’ll surely gain
Your heart’s desire without any pain
At dawn, dock below the Rosewood Tree
Relax, and leave the rest to me.’

The twittering of the tiny birds
And the croaking of the turgid toads
Ushered in the new day
While the Moose sat sighing on a pile of hay,
‘Where, oh where is the Goose so marvelous
Compared to him, I’m so frivolous…’
So sudden was a sudden sound
That the Moose shot up and whipped around
Yonder stood the Goose at last

‘Come on, Moose, follow me fast
‘Lest we don’t get there before noon’
‘Where?’ ‘To places quite unknown
To you, but for me, too regular a haunt.’
Piped the Moose remorsefully, ‘Don’t flaunt
My friend, I cannot comprehend
Your words, so please do lend
A helping wing
Responded the goose, with plenty of zing,
‘Let’s now keep walking
There, you’ll know I’m not conning.’

Then, unprecedented, the ground fell
Below them, and the shock spread to every cell
‘Help, we’ve fallen through!’
Screamed the Moose, ‘Moo, Mooo!’
‘I’m being squashed to death!’ wailed the Goose
For he had landed underneath the Moose!
Hastily did the Moose rise,
But jumped and yelled when he saw three mice!
‘Well, we’re here!’ grinned the Goose
While the Moose thought he’d lost a fuse
‘Where are we?’ the Moose demanded
‘At the Grotto of the Wizard of Refuse, never reprimanded…’
‘Ewww!’ said the Moose, ‘Yuk!!
What are we doing in this gooey muck?
Goose, I refuse to meet the Wizard of Refuse
Coming so far has been of no use!’

Tentatively, the Grotto filled with light
And as the Goose jumped with delight
A towering Wizard said to the Moose,
‘Hello, Moose, I’m the Wizard of Refuse!
I’m only visible to needy creatures who
Think I’m of no use, too!
I grant their wishes and solve
Their problems, and around me does this forest revolve.’
Said the Moose with great humility,
‘Oh, Wizard, my life is sunk in futility
I have no friends, I’m hated by all
And I haven’t been happy since last fall’
‘Well, my Moose,’ the Wizard said
‘I’ll give you a recipe instead
Of your wish’ Then said the Moose,
‘Thank you, Wizard of Refuse!!’

So sang the Wizard, ‘Moose, heed
My words and follow my lead
Take a dollop of Sweetness,
A pinch of cheerfulness
And a dozen kind words
Which will surely work wonders
Add a dash of Satisfaction
And a splash of Precision
With a meaningful Smile here and there
And a Helping Hand everywhere
Moulds of Appreciation and Assurance
And a humungous scoop of Confidence
Mix them together in the bowl of Honesty
And garnish with a sprinkling of Sincerity
Serve it with a Warm Heart
And soon, the Good Times will start!’

Smiled the Moose in apprehension
‘Dearest Wizard, I must mention
That you’ve made me see the Light
I was wrong and you are right
Thank you for your Words of Wisdom
Now I can happily return to my kingdom
And Goose, my dear,
You turned out to be my Saviour!
Thank you so much for all that you’ve done
Together now, we’ll have a lot of fun!’

And so from that day, the Moose
Put the Wizard’s words to good use
He became everyone’s friend
And was loved by all till the very end.

--Akshaya Shivkumar