The Pig That Wasn’t Pink

By Abisha Sooriyathas

Posted on September 27, 2021

There once was a pig that wasn’t pink.
He lived in green grass and had blue water to drink.

He loved his home and the games that he played.
He loved even more all the trees and the shade.

Then one day this little pig had to leave.
There was a better life his parents wanted to achieve.
He walked over a hill and across a pond.
And left the home of which he’d grown fond.

The pig and his parents found a new field.
A field full of pigs that shouted and squealed!
It was muddy and brown and filled with a stink.
But what surprised the pig most was that all the pigs here were pink!

When he arrived in this field, the pigs looked at him funny.
They said, “You’re grey and you’re strange and you look more like a bunny!”

When the pig went to school, he was determined to fit in.
But he didn’t know the games, and didn’t feel like he could sit in.
He didn’t know the rules and he was too afraid to ask,
so instead, the little pig gave himself a different task.

He found his teacher, keeping his gaze low when he spoke.
“I feel homesick,” he said, his voice a small croak.
His teacher frowned and gave him a look that was bleak.
She said, “You know, it is rude to not look when you speak.”

The teacher then told him that he was excused,
and the little pig went home, very confused.
He went to his parents to tell them about his day,
and he made sure when he spoke, his gaze did not stray.

His parents saw his gaze and said, “You are being rude.”
They sent the little pig to his room in a very sad mood.

He laid in his bed, wondering what he did wrong.
No matter how hard he tried, he didn’t belong.
The rules in this field were different from the ones that he knew,
and so, he thought, and he thought about what he could do.

Then the little pig realized he could not please everyone,
and he felt some relief because he knew what had to be done.

The next day the little pig went to school, and he smiled.
He wanted to play with the others, even though they seemed a bit wild.
“Can you teach me how to play?” he nervously asked.
The other pigs said yes, and he was no longer an outcast.

He taught them his own game, and they laughed, and they played.
They even found some trees to play under and some refreshing shade.

He went to his teacher next and made sure to look at her when he spoke.
“Because the place I come from is different, I don’t know all the rules you invoke.”

His teacher said, “I’m sorry I didn’t know. I didn’t mean to be so stern.”
The little pig smiled and said, “It’s okay. Maybe we both could learn.”

He went home after to tell his parents about his day.
He smiled and he said, “I have something to say.”
When his parents were listening, the little pig spoke again.
“Because we are in a new place, I might slip up now and then.”

“You see, the rules here are different and the land we’re in has changed,
and because I look different, the other pigs think I’m strange.
I want to learn the rules here, but I still want to be myself.
Because I am a little grey pig who loves himself!”