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Belling the Cat

The mice called a council to try to defeat
A troublesome cat who would ruthlessly eat
Any mouse in the house that she happened to meet.

A young mouse spoke first. “Pay attention to me.
We’ll fasten a bell on the cat, then you’ll see
That when she comes near us, we will hear her and flee.”

The mice yelled, “Hooray! Why, your plan’s just the thing!
Now all we require are a bell and some string.”
They thanked the young mouse and declared him their king.

An old mouse stood up. “Well, before you do that,
Let me say that your plan will fall horribly flat.
For which of you dares put a bell on the cat?”

.

MORAL

A plan that’s easy to conceive,
Might be too queasy to achieve.

.

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The Goose That Laid the Golden Eggs

A woman owned a magic goose
That laid one golden egg each day.
As I suppose you might deduce,
She used the yellow orbs to pay

For paintings, boats, and fancy homes,
New cars, guitars, and stranger stuff,
Like chocolate frogs and dancing gnomes.
But one egg a day was not enough!

“Rats,” she muttered in frustration.
“I bet that goose is crammed with gold.”
And with no further hesitation,
She knocked the magic bird out cold.

Inside the goose what did she find?
Exactly what goose guts should hold—
A half-chewed bug, some grass, a rind,
But not a single ounce of gold.

Then when she then tried to hide her sin,
The geese police came barging in.
They cuffed her tight and kicked her shin,
And she was never seen again.

.

MORAL
If something gives you gold,
Don’t eat it. Breed it!

.

The above two poems appear in Rob Crisell’s new book The Fantastic Fables of Aesop (De Portola Press, 2023). See a page from the book below. 

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.poetry/crisell/children's

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Rob Crisell is a poet, author, teacher, attorney, winemaker, and actor in Temecula, CA. He is a visiting instructor of Shakespeare and poetry in the Murrieta Valley elementary schools.  His TED Talk “How NOT to Hate Shakespeare” can be found here. He is a former editor with Highlights for Children, American Archaeology magazine, and others. For details, visit www.robcrisell.com.

Illustrations by Jamie Nicole Jones

NOTE TO READERS: If you enjoyed this poem or other content, please consider making a donation to the Society of Classical Poets.

The Society of Classical Poets does not endorse any views expressed in individual poems or commentary.


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6 Responses

  1. James A. Tweedie

    Rob, Beautifully and amusingly told tales with a lovely, lively two-fold thyme in the bell-cat moral. Thanks for the morning entertainment and congratulations and good luck with your book!

    Reply
  2. Roy Eugene Peterson

    I love your continuation of putting rhyme and moral reasoning to Aesop’s Fables! They are as enchanting and entertaining as they are dripping with moral sincerity.

    Reply
  3. Paul A. Freeman

    Thanks for the fun fables, Rob, and I wish your publication well.

    Reply
  4. Cynthia Erlandson

    These are lovely, and a lot of fun. Children’s literature should be good enough to be enjoyed just as much by adults as it is by children. Your poems certainly are!

    Reply
  5. Margaret Coats

    Two of my favorite fables well told in different lyric forms, with clear touches of fun in expressing the moral for each. Nice work, Rob!

    Reply

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