A moral, they say, is taught through a tale <br />But has one been taught by a flashy tail <br />Here is a story of a lizard on a wall <br />Who least knew that pride cometh before a fall <br /> <br />Oh! He was full of conceit and vain <br />Most of the time he was a pain <br />He swished it and swashed it with much élan <br />He swore by his tail as the king of the clan <br /> <br />He seldom missed an opportunity to flaunt <br />It seemed impossible for anyone to daunt <br />And slowly he became quite mean <br />Until a cat appeared on the scene <br /> <br />Lizard didn’t notice the stealthy shadow <br />Until cat’s paw came down in a blow <br />His sporty tail came off like a worm <br />And left him quite like an infirm <br /> <br />Without his tail lizard hid in his hole <br />Pride and conceit had taken its toll <br />For many a day he never came out <br />Ever since he was put to rout <br /> <br />His gloom turned grim <br />So his friends took pity on him <br />His pride had done an about-face <br />Enough to wean him out of his hiding place <br /> <br />Though no flashy tail to adorn <br />It was no reason to mourn <br />A tiny stub had grown in its place <br />Just enough to save his face <br /> <br />With his tail lizard lost his pride <br />There was no more swagger in his stride <br />He learnt never to be haughty and high <br />‘Cause what he owned he could lose in a blink of an eye<br /><br />Bindu Vidyadhar<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/a-tale-of-a-tail/
