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The Boy Who Cried Wolf

Once there lived a shepherd boy who
Despised his dull profession.
His job was to alert the town
When wolves would show aggression.

One Saturday in late July,
He thought it would be hilarious
To stand at pasture’s edge and shout,
“A wolf! Come quick! It’s precarious!”

The people came from all around
With pitchforks, poles, and sharpened scythes,
And as they looked about for wolves,
Hot tears of laughter filled his eyes.

The boy adored his prank so much,
He did it every other day.
When citizens from town would come,
“Ha, Ha! Fooled you!” was all he’d say.

Until a wolf at last appeared.
“A wolf!” the boy yelled, crying.
But this time people stayed at home;
They thought that he was lying!

The wolf ate several lambs that day,
And slinked away with a grin.
From that day forth the shepherd boy
Never cried wolf again.

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MORAL
If you’re a liar and try to deceive,
When you tell the truth, they’ll never believe.

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The Donkey and Her Master

As donkey stood peacefully eating some grass,
Her master saw soldiers approaching them fast.
“The enemy’s here! We must get on the road!”
“Why?” asked the donkey. “Will they double my load?”

“No,” he replied. “You would simply exchange
One boss for another. Your work wouldn’t change.”
Said Donkey, “Then it makes no difference to me.
I’ll stay here and eat. You go on and flee.”

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MORAL

Though governments change
Their style and their name,
For those at the bottom,
The view stays the same.

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

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poetry/crisell/children's

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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7 Responses

  2. Paddy Raghunathan

    Sometimes it even pays to be a donkey.

    Thank you for these fables.

    Paddy

    Reply
  4. Roy Eugene Peterson

    You are putting to fun poems while explaining the moral of the story some of the great Aesop fables. These are delightful.

    Reply
  5. Paul A. Freeman

    Loved the wise old donkey – reminded me of Benjamin from Animal Farm.

    Although the boy who cried wolf doesn’t get eaten (as he did back in my day), we still get a clear message about the consequences of lying.

    Thanks for the reads, Rob.

    Reply

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