.
The Tortoise and the Hare
in limericks
A tortoise and hare were a-talkin’.
Said Hare: “Why, your slowness is shockin’!
__If we ran a race,
__You’d be a disgrace.
I’d win, even if I were walkin’.”
Said Tortoise, “No, hare, I would beat you.
As swift as you are, I’d defeat you.”
__They lined up to run.
__Hare said: “Three, Two, ONE!”
At zero, her fleet rabbit feet flew.
Sure enough, Hare saw she was winning.
“That tortoise is barely beginning!
__Since he can’t close the gap,
__I have time for a nap.”
She fell asleep, practically grinning.
As Hare took her rest, Tortoise passed her.
Awaking, she sensed a disaster.
__Hare finished the race,
__But got second place.
Slow and steady is better than faster.
.
MORAL
Those who snooze
Often lose.
.
.
The Lion and the Three Bulls
Three bulls were once the closest friends,
And grazed in a pasture together.
They rarely argued, never fought,
Stayed faithful in fair and foul weather.
One day a lion saw the bulls
And decided that he would soon eat them.
He knew, united, they would win,
But divided, he could defeat them.
He told false tales around the pasture
Of jealousy, distrust, and lies.
The bulls soon grew to hate each other
And with one another cut ties.
Each bull staked out a private place
As far apart as could be.
Then Lion caught them one by one,
And ate them individually.
.
MORAL
United we stand, divided we fall.
When friendship fails, our enemies call.
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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 a page from the book below.
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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
I love these rhyming Aesop’s Fables. They are perfect for reading to children, yet I am delighted as an adult to read them and remember the lessons I once learned from reading the originals.
These are brilliant! I love them. You should do a collection.
My hare-like haste
It was a waste
I didn’t look
You have the book.
The moral’s plain to see
And here’s the note to me…
Read everything right to the end
Before you hit the key to send!
I thought you did a good job in your reply too, Rohini. It’s a good lesson for me as well.
Thank, you. With such delightful poetry, I was in a hurry.
Enjoyed your poems very much as well as the illustration from your book. A visit to the Ted talk next.
Rob, I enjoyed both of these poetic treatments of beloved fables tremendously. They have a special combination of charm, clarity and conversational tone which makes them an excellent introduction to poetry while providing all the moral benefits of Aesop’s originals.
These are delightful! Defeat you/feet flew is great.
These are great fun to read, really well done. I think these would be good for children of all ages.
Both are nicely done, but the use of limericks for “The Tortoise And The Hare” is particularly delightful. Done well, it’s an extremely playful form and it suits the subject matter well.
I must say, it’s nice to read some well-written poetry for kids. As a parent of young children, the poor-quality of prosody in modern children’s books is extremely frustrating, particularly since it’s one of the last places in the publishing industry where traditional poetry is accepted.
A wonderful idea, beautifully executed! I love these poems.
Thank you all for your kind comments. As most of you undoubtedly will understand, my efforts to try to get publishers to think kindly of my poetry for children was painful and ultimately unsuccessful. As a part-time poetry instructor of 5th graders, however, I know how much children enjoy (rhyming!) poetry. I’m hopeful that my book finds its way into the hands of kids and their parents despite the absence of a distributor. Thanks again.