The Wolf and His Shadow*

A wolf went out for an evening stroll

As the sun was setting

And suddenly noticed his giant shadow,

Which was attention-getting.

 

The lower the sun dropped in the sky,

The larger the shadow became.

The wolf stopped, gazed at the shape,

And sighed, "What a shame!

 

"I don't receive enough recognition.

Look how great I am!

The lion says HE'S the king of beasts.

He's a fake--a sham!

 

"I am bigger than all the other

Animals in this land.

They should all bow down to me,

For I should be in command."

 

He ostentatiously pranced about,

Exaggerating his worth

And even shouted out loud, "I am

The greatest creature on Earth!"

 

All of a sudden a shadow approached,

Larger even than his.

Puzzled, the wolf said to himself,

"I wonder what that is."

 

A moment later, a lion pounced

On the surprised wolf's back

And bit into his neck. The wolf

Cried, "I'm under attack!

 

"If I had paid attention to facts,

I wouldn't be in this bind.

I could have saved my neck if I'd

Had the presence of mind!"

 

The Moral? Acknowledging facts is important

If we want to win.

Failure to do so can cause distress

And also do us in.

-by Bob B (9-4-21)

*An Aesop fable retold here in verse