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