Fable of the Horse, Bull and Cow

Fable of the Horse, Bull and Cow


There was a man who lived in the city. He loved the city but he was born in the country, so his heart yearned for the country. He knew how to make his way in the city, but it became a place to be nobody, so he wanted to move back to the country. The city was full of murder, drugs, hate and other strife of urban life. He had lost friends to murder, drugs and other problems. He fell to drugs himself but was able to recover.

Thankful for his recovery, he wanted to escape back to the country. He loved the quiet and peacefulness of the country. The land, bees, lizards rushing about harming no, woody the peckerwood--pecking on trees as if he had a hammer, the squirrel with the long tail going up trees with nuts, wild turkeys feeding on leftover from the horse and cow feed.

Ye yearned for the country where he could write, think and praise his God. The angel came to provide him with space for his needs. The angel told him just feed the animals, don't worry about anything else. And so he did.

Each day he would get up and ready himself to feed the animals. Actually, the animals, the horses, cows and a bull could see him through his bedroom window. Around feeding time they would be on post watching him moving about.

The animals would have a sad look on their faces as if they were starving to death. They were running drag because they knew he could see them too. The bull would stand still at 12 o'clock, at attention to show his seriousness. "You see me, you see us, so you better bring yo ass out that house if you know what's good for you," the bull said. "I got two horns faya ass if you don't rush it!"

The horses would hang near the gate, knowing he must come there with the hay, but especially with the oats that they loved. "So why is he playing around?" they asked each other. "Don't he know we will kick his ass if he don't hurry up with our food? And he better come with some oats, to hell with that damn hay. He can give that hay to the cows and bull, we don't want hay, although we will eat it, but he knows we want the oats, so why is he stalling, playing power politics with us like he's God Almighty?"

The man observed the animals outside his window watching his every move, especially the sound of his voice as he talked on the phone. He talked so loudly, they could hear every word. They wished he would get his ass off the cell phone and bring their food.

The man dressed, putting on his straw Stetson that was torn from city life. He put a scarf across his nose because he was allergic to hay but enjoyed feeding the animals, so he suffered sneezing.
He walked down to the storage shed and filled two bags with hay and a small bag of oats.

As he walked toward the animals, they saw him coming and began to dance, prance and moved toward the gate, all of them, the bull, cows and horses. The horses were right at the gate, making sure they were first in line to be fed, next to them was the bull, then the cows since they were actually calves and had no seniority, although the bull wasn't much older, except he had two horns if there was a need to prove he was indeed the bull!

He opened the gate, barely able to get inside since the horses were hogging the entrance, but he pushed his way inside and began giving out the hay, holding back the oats because he knew the power of oaks, especially in the world of horses. They loved oats like a nigguh loves pork chops!

Since the horses knew he had oats, they played the waiting game, munching on the hay along with the cows and bull, but their eyes were on him, watching his every move, waiting until he brought forth the treasured oats, which he eventually did and the horses mobbed him at the gate, aggressively going for the bucket in his hand which he drew away least they snatch it from him and gobble the treasured oats.

He put a handful in one horse's mouth, then the other. He spread oats on the hay for the cows and bull, for the cows and bull loved oats too, but not like the horses--oats was dope to them, for the cows it was simply a pleasure, an extra at morning meal. But with the horses it was no joke, but a necessity since it was available.

They gobbled each handful he presented, following him as he moved in any direction, actually blocking him from getting to the cows and bull. When he would get to the cows and bull and pour the oats atop their hay, the horses would push the cows and bull aside and gobble the oats.

Looking pitiful, the cows and bull would submit, even though the bull had horns to demand respect from the horses. He did not challenge the horses, but instead sought out another pile of hay away from the greedy horses.

The man did not leave because he knew if he did, the horse would devour all the hay after they finished following him around with the oats. After giving out the oats, the man stood watching the animals, wondering if their behavior was any better or worse than that of the Negroes he'd left in the city. He thought maybe he should return to do battle with them for their upliftment, no matter the price.

But he decided to stay in the country for the moment, even though the city women were calling him and he was calling them.
--Marvin X

from the Wisdom of Plato Negro, Parables and Fables, by Marvin X.