The sea hawk circled very high

In a late summer’s lazy sky

And far below his eyes did spy

A careless fish, he thought, about to die

And as he swooped from giddy heights

Wings tucked back for greater speed

He pondered much upon those rights

That follow from the grandeur of his breed

It was his right to kill for food, he knew, for that was nature’s way

But surely, in his grandeur, he deserved a great deal more

What less would the sharpness of his talons and his beak convey

The rights of kings were his, he said, and those of others he could ignore 

So prideful was this hawk at last that, speeding toward his prey

He could not resist a mocking comment on its coming fate

You’re just an ugly fish, he screeched, not worthy of my day

I’ll kill you just for fun and leave your flesh for bate

But the fish responded in a great loud voice

Go straight to hell, you scum

For I’m a fish that has a choice

Should you touch me even once, to death you will succumb

I’ll call your bluff said that proud hawk

You’re not just ugly you’re also dumb

You think you’ll trick me with your empty talk

Now, for sure I’ll eat you, quick and with aplomb 

But so occupied with his taunts he was

He gave no thought to a shadow just below

Or to the nature of its cause

A fatal flaw, as we will see, a very rude hello

The fish did time the bird’s quick fall

And at the last instant he moved aside

Revealing below a shark’s great maul

And down its gullet the hawk did slide

For this was, we see, a clever hunting ruse

The fish and shark had often put to use

To teach proud hawks a thing or two

A quite successful pas-de-deux

With the shark now fed it was the fishes time

To have his feast so well deserved

So into that maul he now did climb

To select from tidbits on the teeth buffet well served

As they laughed together they resumed their pose

The fish above, the shark below

The old story of the wolf, hiding in sheep’s clothes

Will they ever learn, those stupid birds, that pride deserves a quid pro quo