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Mistaking pail of paint for bath or bed,
Black Crow took a jump and ... came out painted red.
"I'm Fire Bird now," -- he brags, hot-glowing with emotion, --
"I will wipe off the map and burn the very Ocean

And all of its inhabitants -- to dust and ashes!
The ominous rumors hit the newsbreak flashes:
Sea animals and fish got overwhelmed with dread,
Birds dashed in skies and, panic-stricken, fled,
The forest beasts came running in concern
That oceans, lakes, and seas will boil and churn,
And burn.

Yet, good-for-nothing Lovers-of-Free-Fare
Who cared for freebees stronger than for scare,
Showed up -- who with a spoon, who with a sieve or scoop --
To claim their share
Of free seafood buffet and hot fish soup.
All watch the water, on and down under,
Don't breath and wait for the unheard of wonder.
Just now and then, somebody would respire:
"Wait just one moment ... , till it catches fire!"
...

Yet nothing happened:
water isn't oil,
The ocean didn't burn, and didn't boil.
It's like they say, great boast
But no roast!
Instead, it started raining and the water flow
Washed spots of paint away from swanking Crow
Transforming "firebird" into a buffoon,
Shamed and disgraced, a laughing stock cartoon.

___________________

There's moral here to heed, without being rude
To painted firebirds and to clowns who claim a lot:
One shouldn't halloo till he is out of the wood
And think of what the Red Crow boast brought.

Dr. Anatoly Tsaliovich holds a Ph.D. in telecommunications and electromagnetic engineering. A Bell Labs retiree, he is an author of eight technical books and a book of fables, consults and teaches on the technical subjects of his expertise in the U.S. and overseas, and also writes fiction. His his latest book "FablePolitik," is available from Amazon.com.