by Bruce Bennett

 “… Perhaps the most prominent of these noisy animals was Maurice, a rooster in Saint-Pierre-d’Oléron… His owner had been sued by neighbors—regular vacationers in the area—because he crowed too loudly. … In one of the more tragic cases, over 100,000 petitioners clamored for justice last year after Marcel, a rooster in Ardèche… was shot and beaten to death by a neighbor infuriated by its crowing.”
—The New York Times

Let’s hear it for Maurice,
Who galled some with his crow.
They could not make him cease,
That bold—and loud—Maurice.
Although he’s now at peace,
The world at large should know:
French Law supports Maurice,
That rude bird with his crow,

Which did not help Marcel,
Poor martyr who was shot
And beaten. Oh, too well
They silenced you, Marcel.
What story does that tell?
Some luck out, some do not.
Luck did not help Marcel,
Poor martyr who got shot.

The moral? Cocks will crow,
And some of them will thrive.
The lucky ones will go
On crowing as they crow,
And all the world will know!
The rest won’t stay alive.
The moral? Cocks will crow,
Yet only some will thrive.

Still, everyone should know:

Cocks crow, and they will crow.