Wednesday, August 11, 2021

The Mischievous Dog*

Once there was a mischievous dog

That thought it was so fun

To bark at and snap at people--in short,

To torment everyone.

 

He was such a nuisance that

His master had had enough.

"I am going to fix him," he said.

"If HE doesn't like it, tough!"

 

And so he fastened a bell around

His dog's neck that morning

So people who were near would hear it,

And it would serve as a warning.

 

The dog was oh so proud of his bell

And had an odd reaction.

To hear it jingle, he strutted around

With utmost satisfaction.

 

An old dog approached and said,

"Please don't put on airs.

I see this situation has

Caught you unawares.

 

"I think you need to know the truth,

And so I'll cut to the chase.

The bell is not a reward, my friend;

It's a badge of disgrace."

 

The moral: sometimes we wrongly feel

Pride instead of shame

When it's notoriety

That we mistake for fame.


-by Bob B (8-10-21)


*An Aesop fable retold here in verse

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