The Boy in the River*

A boy was taking a bath in a river--

An occurrence that was nothing new,

For he was a simple lad who lived

In the country and wasn't well-to-do.

 

He slipped on a rock and lost his balance

And splashed about with his arms outspread.

Not a swimmer, he didn’t like being

In water that was over his head.

 

Fearing that he was going to drown,

He called out for help from a passerby,

Who happened to be walking near

The river when he heard the boy's cry.

 

Instead of helping the drowning boy,

The passerby gave him a scolding.

The boy, struggling to stay alive,

Could not believe what was unfolding.

 

The passerby said, “It’s careless of you

To go out where the water’s so deep.

When common sense was distributed,

You were probably fast asleep.”

 

The desperate boy responded by saying,

"Sir, I've listened to what you've told me.

But I would be so grateful if you

Would save me first, then afterwards scold me."

 

We're not sure what happened next.

Let's hope that the passerby was able

To save the boy so there would be

A happy ending to Aesop's fable.

 

If we can learn the following lesson

From Aesop's tale, it would be nice:

In crises, giving assistance is more

Important than merely giving advice.

-by Bob B (8-28-21)

*An Aesop fable retold here in verse

The Lion, the Bear, and the Fox*

While wandering through the forest one day

A lion chanced upon

What he hoped would be his dinner--

A young, injured fawn.

 

A bear approached who also had

The same idea in mind.

He was starving, for it had been

Some time since he had dined.

 

Both of them battled fiercely,

Clawing, scratching, biting.

Ultimately, the two became

Exhausted from the fighting.

 

They lay on the ground severely wounded

And trying to catch their breath,

Realizing how much effort

It took to fight to the death.

 

A fox had been observing the scene

From not too far away.

Jumping for joy, he said to himself,

"This is my lucky day!"

 

Too weak to move, the lion and bear

Watched in disbelief

While the fox ran off with fawn

In his mouth. The little thief!

 

The weary fighters agreed that they

Had been extremely unwise:

All that time they had spent fighting

And the fox ran off with the prize!

 

Moral? Some work very hard

And never receive acclaim,

While others receive the credit and profit.

What a rotten shame!

-by Bob B (8-26-21)

*An Aesop fable retold here in verse

The Stage and His Reflection*

A thirsty stag wandered into

A meadow to reach a pool.

He saw his reflection in the clear water

And thought to himself, "How cool!

 

"What a beautiful pair of antlers!

I can't believe they're mine.

The curves are superb; they spread out so far.

They're UTTERLY divine!

 

"But, oh, what ugly legs I have!

They need some readjusting.

How skinny and weak and contorted they look!

They couldn't be more disgusting."

 

All of a sudden, a lion appeared.

Then a chase ensued.

The stag knew that he had to run fast

Or he'd be lion food.

 

At first the ground over which he ran

Was free of many trees.

He was able to outrun the lion

With the greatest of ease.

 

However, soon he came to the woods

Where branches were hanging low.

His antlers got caught in the branches, and he

Staggered to and fro.

 

As the lion approached the stag,

The stag could clearly see

That he was about to die, and so

He cried, "Oh, woe is me!

 

"While I despised my legs, I praised

My antlers to the skies.

Ironically, my antlers will

Lead to my demise."

 

The moral? We should stop and think

Before we gloat or boast,

For far too often we value the least

What is worth the most.

-by Bob B (8-26-21)

*An Aesop fable retold here in verse

Sour Grapes*

A hungry fox was walking along

And spied some very familiar shapes.

Deep in a garden he noticed a trellis

From which were hanging some bunches of grapes.

 

"I must have those grapes," he thought.

He took a giant leap but found

The fruit too high and so he landed

Empty-handed back on the ground.

 

"This is not a good thing at all.

Perseverance!" he said, but when

He leaped into the air for the fruit,

He landed empty-handed again.

 

"Darn!" he exclaimed. "Not to eat

Those luscious grapes would be a crime,"

And so the exasperated fox

Attempted to reach them one more time.

 

But, alas, once more he failed.

"Oh, well," he sighed. "Some other day.

Why did I waste my time? Those grapes

Were probably sour, anyway."

 

Of course, the fable has a moral:

Often we become upset

And criticize and denigrate

Whatever it is that we can't get.

 

Ah, but there's another lesson:

Why rush to grab the grapes on the vine

When we can wait a little longer

And then partake of some heavenly wine?

-by Bob B (8-25-21)

*An Aesop fable, "The Fox and the Grapes," retold here in verse

Strength in Unity*

A lion had his eye on three bulls

That grazed in a farmer's grassy field.

Being close together always

Provided them with a safety shield.

 

The lion longed to capture them

And eat them up with utmost joy,

But due to their strength in unity,

He desperately needed a ploy.

 

His plan: to whisper damaging gossip

Among the bulls to make them suspicious

Of one another. And we all know

That gossipers can be malicious.

 

The lion's strategy worked like a charm--

Just as he had anticipated.

Each of the bulls grew to dislike

The others, and thus they separated.

 

The field was large enough that each

Could graze alone in a different section.

Of course, since they were on their own,

They no longer had the same protection.

 

Then the lion moved in on the three,

Eating them one by one, which shows

That quarrels among friends provide

Opportunities for foes.

 

By the way, if the lion

Devoured all three, he HAD to be full.

Can a lion be that famished?

Or do you think it's a lot of bull?

-by Bob B (8-24-21)

*An Aesop fable, "The Lion and the Bulls," retold here in verse

"You're Welcome!"*

Walking along a dusty road

In the heat of a summer's day,

Two weary travelers looked for a place

To rest along the way.

 

They wanted to find shelter from

The fiery rays of the sun.

One said, "Look! I see a place."

The other said, "Well done!"

 

They sauntered to spot nearby

Where a plane tree stood,

And plopped down on the ground below.

Ah, the shade felt good!

 

While lying there, one of the travelers

Looked up at the tree,

And said to the other, "This tree is quite

Useless. Don't you agree?

 

"It drops its leaves and produces no fruit.

Although it stands so tall,

It basically doesn't perform any

Service to mankind at all."

 

"You ungrateful person!," cried

The plane tree full of rage.

"How dare you be so insolent

With somebody my age!

 

"Here I stand protecting you

From the scorching rays

Emitted by the sun and yet

I get no word of praise.

 

"You enjoy my cool shade

And find relief therefrom

And then go on to say that I'm

A good-for-nothing bum."

 

Ah, the poor tree learned that human

Beings can be rude,

When they upon receiving kindness

Display ingratitude.

-by Bob B (8-24-21)

*An Aesop fable, "The Travelers and the Plane Tree," retold here in verse

Not Such a Sweet Revenge*

A farmer was getting fed up with a fox.

He despised him like the dickens.

The fox prowled around his farm

Every night and ate his chickens.

 

And so the farmer set a trap

And caught the fox and said, "Aha!

You're going to regret all you've done.

This attempt was your last hurrah."

 

To get his revenge, the farmer tied

A bunch of flax to the fox's tail,

Set it on fire, and let him go,

Saying, "My revenge can't fail!"

 

The fox ran straight for the farmer's field

Where the corn was growing tall.

The fields were almost ready for cutting,

For summer was slowly turning to fall.

 

As you probably figured out,

All of the farmer's fields caught fire.

His crops were destroyed and he lost his harvest--

A situation extremely dire.

 

The fox? Well, he survived

And went away of his own accord.

The farmer, broken and devastated,

Learned that revenge is a two-edged sword.

-by Bob B (8-23-21)

*An Aesop fable, "The Farmer and the Fox," retold here in verse