The sun had set for one so tall
A giraffe was on the ground
His time to sleep forever now
So they came from all around
Yes, the wind was full of such events
And the vultures showed them where
The grass was dark and red and soon
A certain two were there
They circled ever closer
The hyena and the king
Each of very different mindsets
But quite keen on the same thing
Roared the king with massive claws
"Of my size you're less than half!"
The hyena smiled and scurried back
And then began to laugh
The lion feeling confident
Returned to what he claimed
But the laughter would not quiet
Unending and untamed
Every time the lion looked his way
The hyena's laughter grew
The lion's twitching tail told all
As the king began to stew
He roared once more with massive teeth
"I warn on your behalf!"
The hyena paused and ran away
And then again began to laugh
But the lion felt accomplished now
With the point so clearly made
Until slowly crept the laughter back
As the hyena smiled and swayed
This time a little louder
Head low and rounded back
But the king was not amused at all
And soon began to crack
He charged this time with open knives
He left his prized giraffe
The hyena fled into the tall grass
And then? Again began to laugh
The king was riled as if a child
And slashing, roared and roared
While the hyena screamed with laughter
Creeping slowly back toward
But the lion could not find him
And tall grass would not tell
And with the laughter unrelenting
The lion's patience finally fell
"I have better things to do than this!
You fool!” The lion turned
But instantly he realized
That he’d been too concerned
The giraffe was now surrounded
By hyenas, ten, fifteen
They ate their fill, and ate more still
While laughing in between
And the lion could do nothing
He just hissed until he left
He trotted off into the night
Roaring, feeling quite bereft
So be careful who you think a fool
Crazy lady or madman
For stealing things from prideful kings
Has always been the hyena’s plan