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