Anmole Doesn't Share

Running down the sidewalk my friend Anmole,
While playing with her dog, fell down in a hole:
The shallow dirt hole, by the tall flagpole!

I was playing with my friends that warm afternoon
Nearby in the park with a flying balloon.
When I heard a scream with a wide-open mouth
So hard it was heard from the North to the South,
I asked: “Ayesha! Do you hear what I hear?”
“Yes, of course!” She said: “It’s loud and clear!
I’ll bet it’s her! Our good friend, Anmole
I told her to stay away from the flagpole
But I wouldn’t be surprised at all if I find
Her in trouble again. She is one of a kind!”

So, we ran to her help and gathered around
The sidewalk hole, and there what we found
Was not, I agree, a pleasurable fall
But there was no reason to panic at all!
Her dog was with her, in the ditch, by her side
Looking up at my face, confused, wild-eyed
The hole wasn’t deep, Anmole wasn’t hurt
She must have landed on a soft bed of dirt.
The dust from the sidewalk blew in her nose
She reached for the edge standing on her toes
And tried very hard to climb up, but failed.
Scared quite visibly, her little face paled.
Stretching her neck she jumped up and down,
And performed every trick of the circus clown
She tried, with her hands high up in the air,
To summon for help she could get anywhere
When she couldn’t get out of the sidewalk hole
She began to scream and cry out her soul!

Ayesha was scared: “Oh my God! It’s bad!
Should we call the police? Or perhaps her dad?
She looks miserable. She must be in pain
Who knows she has suffered a terrible sprain
Why don’t you look around for a helpful man
While I run to my house to do what I can.”
She disappeared fast and I started to think
How to help Anmole! Maybe get her a drink

And I found, to my luck, a kind-looking man,
Who said: “I stopped my car and I ran
To her when I heard her terrifying scream:
I belong to the Town’s voluntary rescue team
We are affiliated with International Red Cross,
Located in Switzerland, the home of my boss
With a laptop and Internet I’ve filed a report,
Which my boss is reviewing sitting in a resort
I wait for directions, but in the meantime
I found a solution. What a smart man I’m!
Though I’ve to admit, I’m not authorized
To help on my own; now the rules are revised
I may be in trouble if my boss ever learned
But I took a chance since I was concerned.
I told the little girl there is no cause for alarm
And begged repeatedly to give me her arm
By holding her hand I could’ve pulled her out
But she looked at me as if I’m a lout
I failed completely and I don’t understand
Why is she so scared to give me her hand?
I couldn’t help her since she totally refused
To obey! And look even her dog is confused
I bet she isn’t hurt; she is trying to brew,
In all probability, a mischief or two!”

Coming from a stranger, I didn’t like at all
The unkind remarks on poor Anmole’s fall
It’s possible entirely she was choked by the dust
Or perhaps the stranger wasn’t worth her trust
I saw him rushing back to his car which was near
With unease on his face and cell phone on his ear
He glanced at me with a meaningful smirk
I tried to ignore him and get back to work

Positioning myself at the edge of the hole
I said: “Hey listen, my friend Anmole!
I promise to you that your troubles will end
You know, after all, I’m your friend
It isn’t bad at all. Please don’t scream!
I’ll get you out soon if you follow my scheme.”

Anmole calmed down, so I offered my hand
To her and I said in a voice of command:
“I’ll pull you right up in a second you’ll see,
Just give me your hand! Yes, please give me.”

I was eager to help. What else could she ask?
But soon I would learn it wasn’t an easy task
It’s hard to believe what I saw, I swear
She looked at her hands held up in the air
And decided next moment to lower them down
And fold on her chest, with an uneasy frown

All of us were puzzled. I stood right there
Half-bent, with my hand extended in the air:
“I ask you again please give me your hand
Come on, give me. Do you understand?”

But she totally ignored. That girl, Anmole,
Remained fixed in place like the tall flagpole,
Her gaze fixed low on the ground. In fact,
She didn’t even try to make an eye-contact
I was tired and was ready to give up. I said:
“If you don’t help me, I’d leave, I’m afraid.”

And just as I got up and was ready to quit,
She raised her sullen face slowly, just a bit.
“Don’t ask! It’s totally in vain.” She said:
“I won’t give anything, alive or dead!”

And then I realized, in a flash, with despair;
Anmole was a child who just didn’t share!
Didn’t share anything with me or Amara
Not even with her neighbors, Ayesha or Sarah
The idea of sharing for sure made her bitter
Perhaps she was raised by a mean baby-sitter!
And the worst part of all this, I’ve to admit,
Was the fact that she didn’t feel bad about it
She said, casually: “I take; I don’t give
On a one-way street! Yes, that’s where I live!
So don’t waste your time or mine. I insist
In my vocabulary, ‘share’ doesn’t exist!”

I said: “What a shame! If you knew how to share
You wouldn’t be stuck in this painful nightmare
I feel for your dad, now who needs to be told
To feed you right here till you really grow old
When your height is about six feet, Anmole,
You can then jump out of this sidewalk hole
It looks like you just got a long jail sentence
Doesn’t learning to share make a lot of sense?”

And then I was joined, to my greatest delight,
By a few more kids who thought I was right
My next door friend came running in no time
He was really astonished at Anmole’s crime
He said, in disgust, with his front teeth bare:
“The first thing I learned, as a boy, was to share!”

I saw, with surprise, as I turned around
The bright flashing lights and shrill siren’s sound
Police cars, emergency squad and ambulance
Surrounded us all and erected a fence
Two cops rushed out of their cars and advised:
“All traffic is blocked, except as authorized!
We’re here in response to an emergency call
A girl named Anmole had a terrible fall!”
A stretcher came out of the ambulance door
Every contingency was in place, and more

I ran to the Captain and said: “It’s tough!
Can you say positively you’re qualified enough
To make her obey somehow your request
To give you her hand? Now it’s your test!
You’ll see it’s not such an easy affair
We are faced with a girl who just doesn’t share!
Didn’t learn it at all! And I can bet every cent
This is the main cause of this tragic event.”

“Don’t worry,” said the man. His radio crackled
“There isn’t any job which I haven’t tackled.
Totally professional, well-equipped and trained
Just look at my chest for the medals I’ve gained
This is a piece of cake!” He gave his nose a twitch
As he walked leisurely to the edge of the ditch
He waved: “Hi there! I’m Captain Distress
I promise I’ll help you get out of this mess
You’ll soon be again up in the fresh air
I want just your hand. Don’t give me that stare
Come on! Anmole, you can do that, I bet
I won’t hurt you. You shouldn’t be so upset.”
He held out his hand and flashed a smile:
“No need to scream or act hostile
You’ve just ten seconds to give me your hand
After that I’ll jump in the ditch, you understand?”

“Wait!” A voice came from the Captain’s behind:
“You must be indeed the most ignorant kind.”
The Captain looked back: he forgot his smile
“I’m sorry to interrupt. I’m Dr. Cold Guile,
A juvenile psychologist. My manners are mild,
Except when I see the abuse of a child
Your method of extracting the child from the hole
Is fraught with consequences beyond your control,
Which may lead eventually to conflicts so fierce
If you knew what I know, you’d break into tears
You may get her out of the sand and silt
But you’d leave her afflicted with anxiety and guilt
And a low self-esteem, and a high cynicism:
You won’t get a medal despite your heroism!
The subject is traumatized but you’ve no concern
And if you continue, my friend, you’d learn
That the child you rescued is left with a scar
On her fragile little mind with results so bizarre
She may not be fit for the role of a wife,
Or may need counseling for the rest of her life.
Since I’m the most wise of the wisest around
Let me please give you an advice which is sound
My unique rescue plan doesn’t use any force;
Is no threat to the environment or any watercourse
My way is non-invasive, my approach is humane
I saved just the other day a baby bald crane,
Who fell from his nest and injured his pride
And was just about ready to commit suicide!
But this is a challenge! Though harsh it may seem,
Let me share with you my brilliant scheme,
Which came to my mind as I rushed to this place:
I’ll talk to the little girl, making a baby face
To establish a rapport as quickly as I can.
And now to the best part of my rescue plan:
In a non-threatening voice, the virtues of sharing
I’ll gradually administer without her scaring
Till her likes and dislikes are gently squashed;
She wouldn’t even feel she was being brainwashed!
My charisma will induce her to give me her hand,
And even her candies and toys, on command!”

The Captain looked confused and said: “Go ahead!
You’re right! I’m sorry. I totally misread
We are lucky we have help of just the right kind
An environmental psychologist isn’t easy to find!”
Dr. Guile said: “No one is as qualified as I’m.”
And I’m in no hurry. I’ll work overtime!”

Gathering his charm as he neared Anmole
I heard: “What about the dog in the hole?”
The noise came in from the back of the crowd
Assembled at the fence, excited and loud:
“Cruelty to animals we won’t tolerate!
Please rescue the puppy first. Why do you wait?
He looks traumatized and needs to get out
We care for the puppy, let there be no doubt
Anmole doesn’t share. And she is a duffer!
But why for her sins should the poor dog suffer?
If you don’t immediately do what you’re told
A candle-light vigil we’re ready to hold!”

I was rudely stopped by the hurried TV crews,
Busy telecasting this hot breaking news
They had, on the camera, Ayesha’s grand mom
Who looked horrified, as if hit by a bomb:
“I know her. She goes to my Ayesha’s school
And it’s hard to accept that she is such a fool!
But it isn’t her fault if her parents don’t care:
My all eight kids first learned how to share!
The new generation is so busy these days
They don’t have the time to properly raise
Their kids with the charitable values. I know
Some things were much better decades ago!
It’s blatantly phony of us to expect
The children to share while the parents neglect
It starts with refusing to share their bed
With even little babies who are sick or afraid
They set bad examples; so why is this fuss?
The adults don’t even share a ride in a bus!
Just look at any car and sitting alone
You’ll find an adult with his own cell phone
Kid’s own room with gadgets and TV for each
What kind of sharing we are trying to teach?
If the rich grown-ups were ready to share
The world wouldn’t have any hunger or despair.”

Then the camera was turned on to air my story,
Which I narrated quickly in details quite gory:
“She studies in our class. We take the same bus,
In the subject of ‘sharing’ she got an ‘F plus’.
Her workbook on ‘giving’ was always blank
At the mention of ‘sharing’ her mean heart sank
Though quick to bite into the ice cream cone
In her little brother’s hand, I’m not alone
To see her never share her candies or toys
With her brother or any of the girls or boys
My mom says she certainly is different from others
Doesn’t even share a semblance with her brothers!”

“Too bad!” said the next guy being interviewed:
“Could this be the result of a family feud?
I’m a social scientist and I’ve thought for long
As to what could be the reason. What went wrong?
Did she miss the class when ‘sharing’ was taught?
Or in the pitfall of genetics, is she unluckily caught?
Did her cultural background play any role?
Or her race or heredity inflicted a toll?
Or with plenty of resources, perhaps it’s fair
To say there is less of a need now to share,
Like being hospitable; it’s valued in the East
Or wherever material resources are least.”

The newscaster added: “So you see this bizarre
Scene on Avarice Street, right there, not far
The story of a girl who refuses to share
The consequences of which are enough to scare
All parents, for whom the message is clear.
But is anyone conscientiously ready to hear?
The drama is unfolding inside every home
All games are stopped in the Dallas Astrodome
Talk shows are analyzing the monstrous threat
This episode poses, if not immediately met
Altruism is in danger, just like the ozone layer
The mullah is calling: ‘It’s time for a prayer!’
In India, the voice of a Swami is clear:
‘The end of the world is definitely near!’
Our Far East reporter informs from Beijing:
‘Nobody understands here what’s this thing
With limited resources, you hear this voice
Sharing in this part of the world isn’t a choice!’
In a moment, we’ll take you to London, straight
Where the House of Commons is busy in debate
On how to make it quickly a mandatory part,
By law, of the school curriculum from start
What happened to our noble spirit of sacrifice?
Is this air pollution or lack of exercise?
Morality is missing; greed is in control
Is the rampant consumerism taking its toll?
The pillars of humanity are under attack,
And after these messages, we’ll be right back!”

As I talked to the crowd about Anmole’s fate,
I saw her dad come, in a hurry, straight.
He looked at his child as I told him the detailed
Unlucky episode, and the reason why I failed:
“I’m sure you’ve heard the news on the air
Your girl is in trouble because she doesn’t share
She won’t give her hand, you pray or you shout
I guess there is no way now to drag her out.
Her fate is so bleak, I’m sure you’ll cry.”
“Thanks!” said her dad: “But please let me try.
He looked irritated, being followed by those
Newsmen, who were shoving their mikes to his nose:
“How do you explain that your child didn’t learn
How to share! Isn’t this a matter of concern?”

His voice was grim: “What’s the big deal?
The importance of giving is blown up, I feel
You give or you take, once said my grandmother,
It’s all part of sharing, one way or the other!”

He walked to the edge of the hole and stood
For a moment or two, like a cold piece of wood
It was hard to conceal his concern, but he did
And looked down below at the miserable kid
“Don’t worry,” he said: “I’ve all in control.
And listen carefully what I say, Anmole!
I’m sorry to see dirt all over your face
You’re not even aware of your open shoelace
You don’t have to give anything. Not at all!
Especially right after such a terrible fall
You deserve to receive our kindness and care
To ask you to give now is totally unfair!
Relax, cheer up, and for heaven’s sake,
Here is my hand.
Please take it!
Take...”

Anmole looked up and paused for a while.
I saw her eyes shine. She gave a smile:
“Of course I’ll take. Don’t ask me to give.
On a one-way street! Yes, that’s where I live.”
She jumped up to take her father’s hand
And was pulled right out of the dirt and sand!!