Little Johnny’s Story

By Hittesh V

Have you ever wondered how crazy life would be,

If fishes lived like humans did and we built homes in sea.

If the sky was purple, orange, blue, yellow, or green,

And rainbows were all black and white, unlike we have ever seen!

You might not feel that way at all! You might not even question,

They way things work in the big, big world is not your obsession.

But there was once a little boy who liked to dream a lot,

Every day he thought of things different from what we’re taught.

Little Johnny they called him – just eight years of age,

His wisdom well beyond it – beyond what’s on the page.

“And then?” “But then?” “And when?” he asked his friends again and again,

“And why is that add 1 + 1 and the answer’s 2, not eleven?”

Little Johnny liked to think and imagine life that way,

He would say the strangest things always all day.

“What if leaves had eyes or ears?” “Or what if we could fly?”,

“Johnny’s all but lost it!” His classmates giggled by.

But Johnny liked to dream and dream – no matter who said what,

Wonder, beauty, imagination in everything he sought.

The laughter and mocking meant nothing to him,

Johnny stood so strong and fast – his light won’t be dim.

All his classmates wondered why Johnny thought so much,

Why Johnny simply wouldn’t get that things are such!

In classes, he was ignored; on the playground never picked,

But Johnny didn’t feel so bad, his pride hadn’t been pricked.

And so the days passed by and by, and Johnny read and read,

While all the other kids his age viewed school textbooks in dread.

October third, was the day when Molly ma’am joined,

“A science exhibition’s happening, there’s a contest” she announced.

“An innovative idea, an invention is what they are looking for,

So if anyone’s interested, come meet me after four”

Molly ma’am’s announcement stirred up little Johnny,

He loved to think of ideas, that was his favourite hobby!

He ran up to the teacher and gave his name to her,

“I would like to participate, I’ll make you proud, teacher!”

Molly ma’am was happy too, to see the keen, young boy,

With twinkle in his eyes, for science he did enjoy.

“Come see me past 4 o’ clock and bring your little notebook,

Try to think of ideas and I will take a good look.”

Molly ma’am smiled at him and off she walked to the staff-room.

Johnny stood excited, his smile was now in full bloom.

“Cars, robots, devices, pens” Johnny expected a different idea,

He wrote them down and scratched them out and reffered Wikipedia.

What could he come up with? The boy though long and hard,

What can he think of? What was his big trump card?

Johnny looked in all the books and curiously Googled,

Puzzledly he looked for ideas and peculiarly stared.

The world has no more fuel, Google then told Johnny,

The climate is now changing, everything is ghastly.

We need a cure for cancer, we haven’t even solved baldness,

Plastic’s growing heaps and heaps, it’s really going to haunt us.

Technology, once a good friend, is now a real addiction,

Smartphones and social media now turns facts into fiction.

The air is full of chemicals, the water’s poisoned too,

The sky is now all kinds of grey when once a perfect blue.

So which problem are you going to solve? What’s your big idea?

Johnny shook his head in vain, “Oh Google, I have no idea!”

How am I to solve these problems, I really don’t know,

What do I tell Molly ma’am, what idea will I show?

“Just take a good, long deep breath” Google now told Johnny,

Everything will work out fine — just trust yourself blindly.

Go and meet with Molly ma’am, she'll guide you, also teach you,

Trust yourself and trust your skills, and all your dreams will come true.

Soon it was past four o clock, the meeting was approaching,

Johnny made his way to ma'am, oh no, he was just shaking.

He knocked so quietly at her door and waited for the greeting,

For Molly ma'am to say “Oh hi, John why don’t you come in!”

He sat down in the wooden chair and blurted out “Excuse me!

I don’t have any ideas! But please madam, I am sorry.

Many problems this world does have, and I have no solution,

The climate change, the wars, the pains, and all of the pollution.

Molly ma'am was touched to hear Johnny's sweet confession

She said “Don't worry, dearest child! That's why we’re at this session.

I’ll help you find a good topic and help you win the contest,

What's a problem you wish you solved? The answers we can address.”

Johnny now thought long and hard, what did he really care for?

Among all the world’s big things, what small thing did he implore?

He then thought of one thing that he’s always wished to avoid,

A problem that couldn't be solved by Apple or the Android.

Was his problem worth a shot Johnny thought to himself,

I might as well tell Molly ma’am, she’s only here to give help.

A quiet voice from Johnny's throat escaped as he stated,

The problem that he wanted gone, Johnny now reinstated.

“Well I often lose my glasses, and can't see where they've gone,

It’s hard to see when I can't see the thing my sight depends on!”

Molly ma’am heard earnest John and erupted out in laughter,

“Oh my child, you've brought out such a sweet and honest matter!

I lose my glasses now and then, and have the same big issue,

Let's go ahead and find a solve exactly like you wish to.”

Johnny was so thrilled to hear his madam's kind approval,

He felt relaxed and eased out now, there was no need to be formal.

Confidence and happiness welled up in Johnny's small chest,

He knew what he was going to solve, he was going to give his very best.

Together sat the teacher and pupil, thinking and rethinking,

The best way to find glasses lost when you had not an inkling.

A tracker? Chip? A small device? Detector? Or heat sensor?

Johnny thought of everything, the little smart inventor!

Finally, they thought it through and there was born a new app.

That tracked your spectacles’ location, there could be no mishap.

“Now you get to work on it, you have your target,

Keep thinking hard and soon enough, things will become explicit.”

Molly ma'am advised the child and Johnny started walking,

All the way back home he walked, thinking and rethinking.

Formulas and diagrams, Johnny sat and charted,

Suggestions from parents, the little boy regarded.

A microchip with a smart sensor he put up in his glasses,

He worked on the most complex things they hadn't learnt in classes.

Prototypes, experiments, and long drawn hypotheses,

Johnny tried them out and found anomalies.

Circuits and small batteries he welded all together,

The problem of lost glasses he wouldn't have now ever!

And finally the little app was ready for the testing

His mum and dad watched in awe, so interesting!

Molly ma’am joined too to watch the boy's big reveal,

Watching the little scientist, much pride and joy she did feel.

Johnny took the spectacles that his dad volunteered,

He placed it in an unknown place, on the app would it appear?

They waited on and the app blinked on, locating the lost glasses,

A beep rang out and they followed now to find the glasses as is.

Congratulations my dear child Molly ma’am now yelled out,

Her little child had proved it right, he did really stand out.

“You'll win the big contest, aren't you excited?

Everyone will cheer you on, I’m so delighted.”

Molly maam’s encouraging words made Johnny excited,

He almost cried in joy, the fire in him ignited.

The contest was upcoming, his time to shine was here,

Everyone who laughed at him would now applaud and cheer!

Soon the day of the contest arrived for little Johnny,

He awaited with his bated breath to show to everybody.

The fruit of his good labour, his final invention,

He showed his work to the judges and made an impression.

“A great solution to the problem” the judge to him remarked,

“You've made a good invention, my boy you are so smart.”

Johnny blushed and thanked him, his dream was really happening,

The adrenalin rush he felt was so incredibly maddening.

And soon enough he time did come for announcing the result,

The crowd stood still and eager now, all waiting to erupt.

Molly ma’am held Johnny's hand, she could feel the tension,

She prayed her student be rewarded for all his dedication.

A few moments passed by so, the judge walked to the podium

An eager silence filled the crowd, it filled the entire stadium.

“I’m sure you are all waiting to know of the one winner,

So many people we looked at, so many we considered.

Many had ambitious, deep attempts but didn’t make the cut,

But the winner for us is the one who thought of the unthought.

Johnny is the winner for his simple application,

He's shown how even small problems are solved with simple action!”

Johnny couldn't believe himself; he had actually won,

The joy he felt at that moment was parallel to none.

He walked up to the stage and took the trophy in his hands,

All around the crowd just roared and erupted in claps.

“Thank you so much judges for believing in my passion,

Molly ma’am and parents, for acting with compassion.

I love to think and read and write but this is really something,

The joy of finding answers, of referring, and inferring”

Soon enough this little boy was the big thing in his whole school,

Everybody talked to him, they thought he was so cool.

Johnny loved his world of books and science and cool invention,

What a great story, of a little boy's ambition!

So this is my poem for little John who liked to find the answer,

To problems both big and small, in a scientific manner.

You can be like Johnny too, by working and believing,

Try hard enough and you will find the work itself rewarding.

Whatever be your calling — sports or maybe music,

You will find it work for you, even if confusing.

But don't forget the secret for overnight success,

It’s many days of labour and giving up on rest.

So dear friends do work hard, and practice day and night,

Such long hours will soon translate to such a sweet delight.

So this is Johnny's story — will you write yours too?

Promise me you'll always trust the dreams you do pursue.

By Hittesh V