VERIFICATION OF TACT

Once upon a time
Fowls, hawks, and eagles lived in a world specially made for them
But lived in their own spaces
In that world also was vulture
Fowls lived on the ground
Hawks lived on lower trees
Eagles lived on higher trees
Hawks, besides the high sky, could go anywhere
…without as much as a glance from these three

II
In that wingy world
Fowls were quietest
Hawks could screech but needed to do so tactfully
…because based on their sizes
…they could attract enemies which could be other hawks
Or worse, eagles
Eagles on the other hand
…lived as they wanted

III
Hawks scanned the ground to hunt chicks
…of hens
Whose only expression after their loss
…was loud clucking
Bigger hawks always scanned their immediate sky
Hoping to prey on small hawks
As eagles swooped from the higher sky
To hunt hawks

IV
One dark day
As bigger hawks were screeching to intimidate others
Small hawks hid
…and fowls locked their coops
Eagles visited their near sky
…caught few bigger hawks
…whose cries alerted the others;
Others who scampered to hide
Amidst the confusion
One hawk cried a bit like a clucking
Alerting some eagles to hover around
…their hiding place

V
To tease them out
The eagles, acting like friends
Asked in lower tones to sound like hawks
“Are you in the tree or in the leaves?”
An eya wanted to answer
But its mother hawk held firm its beak
…until the eagles left
After, the eya asked its mother obviously in beak pain
“Mother, what was that about?”
Its mother looked at it and answered
“That was the verification of tact
…if you had heeded
…you’d be on your way to ghostland by now
…and vulture will only have a feast picking through your feathers”
With that, it dawned on them
That the fear they give to the grounders
…is the same fear they received from the uppers
…on that dark day
Amoafowaa Sefa Cecilia © March 10, 2021
Inspired by Mr. George Sarpong from Writers Café Ghana