A scorpion, not knowing how to swim, asked a frog to carry it across the river. “Do I look like a fool?” said the frog. “You’d sting me if I let you on my back!”
“Be logical,” said the scorpion. “If I stung you I’d certainly drown myself.”
“That’s true,” the frog acknowledged. “Climb aboard, then!” But no sooner than they were halfway across the river, the scorpion stung the frog, and they both began to thrash and drown. “Why on earth did you do that?” the frog said morosely. “Now we’re both going to die.”
“I can’t help it,” said the scorpion. “It’s my nature.”
I didn’t write this one, but a friend shared it with me last week and I wanted to share it with you. Rather than give you my opinion on what it means, I want to leave it open-ended. What you take away from it doesn’t have to be what I take away from it, and that’s what I love about fables - they contain the truths that we need, the ones we’re individually searching for. I hope this resonated with you today.
Just a heads up - Poetry in the Dark, my weekly Wednesday poetry newsletter, will be sent out this evening around 7 p.m. I’m starting to love this form of writing, even if I’m still somewhat of a novice. It’s been an indispensable tool in my unfolding process. You can check it out below, it’s completely free…