FABLE Poem: The Wolf and the Walnuts, by Max Bufkin

A Fox was happily hopping down the forest path,
When it came across a great big Wolf,
The Wolf’s head was drooped over its chest,
And it was crying silently to itself,
It appeared as if it’d been crying in the same spot for a very long time,
For a patch of flowers grew at its feet,
Watered by its tears.

“What is the matter?” The Fox asked.
“I wish I were a fox like you,” The Wolf replied. “But I was born a Wolf instead.”
“Why would you wish for such a thing?” The Fox asked.
“Because it is what I am meant to be.” The Wolf explained.
“I feel it in my bones, and when I talk with the stars,
The thought of being such a creature makes my heart burst with joy.”
“Well, if you think you’re a fox, then you’re a fox.” The Fox said.
“But I do not look or talk like a fox.” The Wolf replied.

At this, The Fox angled its white-whiskered face,
Toward a tree branch suspended over their heads.
“Do you see those walnuts growing on the branch?” The Fox asked.
“The shells are rough and hard, but the insides are soft and delicious.
I care more about what is on the inside of things, for there,
One will find the most flavor.
If, inside, your heart truly tells you this is the way you are meant to be,
Then, it is the way you were meant to be.
No matter what your shell may look like.”

“But to say that a wolf is a fox is quite silly.” the Wolf said.
“What if the other animals make fun of me?”

“Then they will have only tasted the bitter shell,
And will never get to enjoy the deliciousness of your soul.”
The Fox explained.
At this,
The Wolf smiled and raised its shaggy head.

Together,
The Wolf and The Fox began to walk down the forest path,
Their tails intertwined.