‘There once was an ugly duckling –
turned out to be a baby swan –
rookie error!’ said the crow.
.
The rook took offence to this.
‘Now listen here,’ he started,
‘You crows always diss
us rooks.
I know we haven’t got your looks,
or the brains that you were born with;
but we knows the difference
between a duckling and a cygnet,
a hawk and a handsaw,
and chalk and cheese.
‘So, please, will you stop
looking down upon my kind?’
.
The crow, looked below,
and asked the rook,
‘Why is a Raven like a writing desk?’
The rook didn’t know the answer,
and the crow wasn’t telling.
.
The rook flew off, yelling,
‘You think you’re a clever so-and-so,
but it isn’t just me that doesn’t know!’
.
This was true, but the crow
held the higher ground,
from which position
he’s always found
that a positive claim
would bring him fame –
whether he was correct or not.
Graeme Sandford 