I once knew of a man.
The smartest to ever live.
But one day he ran
Far, far away.
To a place for which 30 years
He would stay.
When I was ten,
I lived in a small home
Right next to his own.
It was a decrepit mansion;
Part of it was a really hideous dome.
I was bored out of my mind,
Something interesting I wanted to find.
I wandered out,
When I saw his home
I set off to go inside
To figure what it was all about.
Nobody ever knocked on his door
Because they were all scared.
The man never left his house in 30 years,
And so I had every reason to fear.
But being the brave child I was,
I knocked on it thrice.
And to surprise,
The door opened.
Out came a tall and slender man.
One who was much elder to me
Even my parents.
His gray hair fell in waves
Upon his face.
His eyes were sharp,
And his stare was made me feel
Out of place.
“What is a kid like you
Doing in a place like this?”
“They say you’re the smartest.
The smartest man in history.
Can you please, sir,
Tell me your story.”
A few seconds went by.
My patience really wanted to try.
But he stepped aside,
And opened the door fully.
What happened next
I can never forget truly.
Inside the entrance was a wall of pictures.
Memories which were framed.
Memories of a time
When being the smartest
Made him famed.
The man stopped and looked
At this wall of his life.
But with pain
His face was rife.
He continued on
Irking me to accompany him.
As we went on,
We reached a dark room
With another door.
This time,
It had a button,
And the man pressed it once,
And he said in a manner so blunt.
“Open sesame.”
And I heard a click.
Once we went in,
I really understood the trick.
There was no gold,
Nor was there anything bold.
It was a mammoth library,
With many books that were old.
There was three floors to the building,
And ten desks on the ground.
I thought it looked like it was built in Rome,
Only to realize,
This was that dome.
The man told me to sit,
And then poured me some water.
He proceeded to lecture me
Like he was my grandfather.
He told of his life.
How when he was my age,
He was as wise as a sage.
And when he was seventeen
He was so intelligent
He even advised a queen.
When he was a man
He had a great plan.
To travel the world
And teach.
But soon the money came
And sucked out his soul
Like a leech.
It was nourishing
He built this house with it.
But nothing could cover the cost
Of losing his only love.
That is irresolvable.
Even with the greatest wit.
He fell into gloom
And his self-image soon became filthy
Nothing you can clean with a broom.
And he decided it was enough of the spotlight.
In the way he said it:
“I left, and ran off into the night.”
That night was eternal
Even hell is not as infernal.
He sat in that darkness
Telling me this parable.
I was shook,
And felt like I was about to cry.
Looking at those sharp eyes
It seemed his soul had already died.
He then comforted me,
“It’s alright.
I’ve very long fighted.
And, now all my wrongs
Have been aptly righted.”
He asked if he could tell me something more.
“Yes, of course.”
And then,
He began his rant.
He began to recant his reflection,
And speak of his vast knowledge.
A treasure so big
It was impossible to dig.
He spoke of the great history he learned.
From words of Plato,
To the death of Hussein.
From The House of Knowledge,
To the Sistine Chapel.
From Alexander to Akhbar,
From Austen to Armstrong.
From Aristotle To Adolf,
From Arafat to Ali.
He named many,
And his words were plenty.
He spoke of great empires
And their conquests.
How they gained much
And fell at others’ behest.
He told of great warriors
With blood who painted the books red
But one day
In shame they bowed their heads.
He told of the dollar
How much it has ruled the world.
Many died for it:
From the richest
To those who were blue collar.
Time flew,
And his knowledge finally came through.
I realized
Why people called him the smartest.
This really wasn’t anything to fantasize.
But our time came to an end,
Dawn became dusk.
I told him I had to leave.
He obliged with no fuss.
When I stepped out,
I shook his hand.
“Thank you for everything.
Well, that’s not enough
For all you told.
But that’s all I can give
As something in return.”
I almost left,
But he told me to halt.
“I am the smartest ever.
Do you know why I ran away?
I had so much to tell
But no one ever listened.
Not a single day.
But you listened.
You listened very well.
So I guess,
This pen I could finally sell.”
He smiled slightly,
But it was very warm.
And then he shut the door.
And to his present
He would again conform.
I never saw him again.
Years later he died.
Why?
A big tumor in his brain.