The Lion King – Narrative Poem (By Ashiana Sunderji)
Not long ago, there lived the animals of Pride Rock
Organized in a hierarchy, the lions always, on the top
But all was not well, in the family tree
There were some falling outs, dethroning and jealousy
The story you know, is quite a different version
The real one I’ll share, stirs up quite controversion.
The reigning king of the animal kingdom, Mufasa
Had Rafiki the Babboon introduce, his new-born cub, Simba
All of the animals appeared to celebrate the ceremony
Except for Mufasa’s brother Scar, who sulked at home angrily
A direct descendant of the king, Simba was now in line for the crown
But, Scar had longed to be the one to whom the kingdom bowed down.
Simba is raised happy, he learns, lives and sings
He tells his uncle proudly, “I just can’t wait to be king”
Scar, full of rage thinks up a plan
Encourages Simba to venture off to the shadowy place of the land
Not listening to warnings, he leaves for his journey
He takes his friend Nala and they leave in a hurry.
When they reach the graveyard, they find themselves surrounded
Scar had sent Hyenas, the cubs retracted, astounded
Mufasa came to the rescue, fighting them off
He sent Nala home and took his son for a walk.
Simba asked his dad if they would always stay together
Mufasa smiled sadly, his son thought life was forever
He explained how he would have to die for his son to step forth
Simba’s sudden epiphany, left him feeling all hurt
Mufasa gestured to the stars in the sky
“Son” he explained “When I’m gone let them be your guide.
Meanwhile, full of frustration, Scar cooked up a new plan
He led Simba to a cliff, left him there and ran
Hyenas down below ready to attack
Simba felt a push and held onto a tree branch.
Crack! The branch went, Simba let out a cry
Mufasa came running, pulled his son up but then slipped off the side
Clinging to the rocks, he struggled back up
His brother appeared suddenly, he thought he was in luck
Scar dug his claws right into Mufasas’ paws
“Long live the king” he sneered as he pushed him right off.
Simba found his fathers body lifeless and limp
Scar yelled from a top “Run far away Simba, don’t be a wimp”
Scar returned home and pronounced them both dead
“Bow down to your new king” He boastfully said.
Simba now traumatized, searches far and wide
With no where to go, he longs to find somewhere to hide
He meets some new animals Pumbaa and Timon
A meerkat and a warthog who don’t want him to be alone
They take him to their jungle and become his new family
“Hakuna Matata” they chant as if, they have not a single worry.
The qualities they showed, demonstrate leadership
They take care of him, like a father-son relationship.
Simba feels deep inside that something is wrong
The people at Pride Rock are not getting along
He knows that he is not the right person for the task
He looks at the stars, hoping it’s not too much to ask.
One day, upon searching for help, Nala arrives
She stumbles upon Simba, to her pleasant surprise.
She explains to him the evil that Scar has instilled
And begs Simba to come home, out of his own good-will
Simba declines he does not want responsibility
He encourages Pumbaa to seek out this opportunity.
Pumbaa returns home with Nala, with a plan to succeed
He yells at Scar for ruining the land with his greed
Finally, though refusing to leave, Scar admits to his faults
Pumbaa fights him hard, and leads him off a rock
And just like that Scar is now dead
He got what was coming, if only he had looked ahead.
Who would have thought the warthog had it in him?
He was an inborn leader, logical, strong, and driven
Taken aback, Nala looked him in the eye
“Simba was your family so it’s you who should lead our tribe.”
With slight hesitation, the animals of the Pride rock accepted him
A revolution had occurred, the chief was no longer a lion’s kin
The monarchy overthrown, could have been perceived as a controversy
Along with the fact that the new leader, a warthog, was also a minority.
Pumbaa led the animals, he was their guiding light
Simba came home, he knew what he had done was right
From this moment on, leadership was no dynasty
It went to the most deserving animal with no more hierarchy!