A Well Known Story

A WELL KNOWN STORY

It is a well known story,
And I’m sure you’ve heard it said,
That of all the animal kingdom
The Lion is the head.

He sits assured upon his throne
And knows he can’t be moved,
But still the King Of The Jungle
Must sometimes have it proved.

So he went to see the Tiger,
Who was sitting having tea
“Who’s the King Of The Jungle?”
The Tiger said, “Why, me.”

This made the Monarch angry
And made the Tiger regret it;
As he landed in a pile of plates
The Lion roared, “Don’t forget it!”

He next sought out the Zebra,
A milder sort of beast.
“And do you mind telling me, peasant … ?”
“Oh no, sir, not in the least.”

But once the question was finished
The Zebra changed his song,
Saying “I’m the King of the Jungle,
And if you think different you’re wrong.”

The Lion flew into a rage
And beat him with a broom
And tore the stripes from off his back
And stormed out of the room.

He rudely hailed the Elephant.
The placid beast never stirred.
“WHO IS THE KING OF THE JUNGLE???”
She answered not a word,

Just picked the Lion up in her trunk
And gave him such a shake,
Then wrapped him round some nearby trees
And threw him in the lake.

The Lion lay there an instant,
Till he knew who he was again,
Then stepped from the water gracefully
And proudly shook his mane.

Calmly he approached the Elephant
With all the style of a dancer
And said, “Well, there’s no need to get annoyed
Just because you don’t know the answer.”

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The ego has access to a seemingly bottomless font of self-deception.