When The Fool Speaks

Jaws drop. Their eyebrows furrow.
And anger fills the setting.
The queens and the princesses in the jungle have all met, behind closed doors.

What are they talking about?
It appears something serious has gone wrong.
Have their husbands gone wild?
No, it’s a different ball game. Something ugly is rearing its head.

Is it really true that daughters are like mothers?
That they resemble their mothers?
And that they love their mothers?
Well, don’t jump the gun yet, wait till the rooster comes home to roost. The cameras have managed to pick up all the happenings in the jungle.

Alas the folly has spoken!
Everyone knows her. Everyone knows she’s got a stocky body. Everybody knows she’s flat snout, small eyes and large ears. She’s never been ashamed of her looks and character traits.

They say she’s dirty, they say she’s greedy and they say she’s ugly. But none of the name calling makes her cringe.

Indeed, she’s remained unbreakable and immune to insults and insinuations until her own daughter launches verbal attacks on her--swearing and cursing.

“Look at her and look at me. We don’t look anything alike. She’s ugly. I’m beautiful. I’m not connected to her,” the young swine tells her mom.

Present at the meeting, are the lioness, the tigress, the leopardess and all the married/single moms in the animal kingdom.

The scene is getting giddy and nasty. The piggy dirty swine is throwing temper tantrums and punches from all fronts.

Her mom feels humiliated. She can't take them anymore. It seems she’s been riding on a rollercoaster.

Mother pig now feels dizzy. She staggers and nearly falls to the ground. Finally she breaks down in tears. Still the dirty greedy piggy continues to swear at her.

“You’re ugly, you’re nothing but nasty.”

“Hey, you better belt up,” cries the lioness.

“How dare you speak like that to your mom? Mind you, being rude to you mom isn’t cool.

We don’t play games here. And if you think you’re superior to or better than folks here you’re at liberty to leave and join the other race.”

“What makes you think that you’re better than your mom?”

“She’s always in the sludge and her sparse bristly hair is ugly. My colour is different and I don’t get myself dirty as she does,” replies the piglet.

The lioness is gradually losing her cool. Her patience is thinning. And her colleagues like the tiger and the leopard can't hide their fury either.

What they are witnessing appears unfamiliar to them.

In the animal kingdom respect is demanded and not merited. Kiddies deemed naughty get flogged. Often times they vanish into thin air.

A daughter disowning her own mom! How did we get here?

Meanwhile, the empress and the queens of the jungle have unanimously condemned the behaviour of the young swine. The lioness says the piggy is the ‘dumbest beast’ she’s ever come across in her life. The tigress calls it the ‘crudest’ and the Leopardess describes it as the ‘creepiest’ she’s ever witnessed.

Folks the chickens have come home to roost. Therefore, look no further.

By Gordon Offin-Amaniampong