Spoiler
A contest entry. My word was little. contests/viewcontest.php?id=19
And so the elephant was afraid of the mouse.
When it was young and felt small,
its father taught it big words
that spoke of little things.
Minuscule, insignificant, inconsequential...
And its mother told it not to be afraid.
The first time the elephant met the mouse,
it remembered a moment it was younger and smaller,
when its trunk ruffled and painted a picture
that depicted the little things.
Pump, swell, swish...
And its mind told it not to be afraid.
Now the elephant had to haul itself backwards,
as each wrinkled flap of skin shied away in fright.
Having known brush bristles,
the elephant realized the little things were complex.
Knotty, elaborate, complicated...
And its heart told it not to be afraid.
And so the elephant was afraid of the mouse.
It knew that problems themselves were actually very small,
but the more details they had
then the worse they grew to become.
Designed, assigned, numerous...
And it told itself not to be afraid.
