Can Poetry Positively Influence People?

I have a poem about lies for you today

In my country, England, there is a story called “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” — it’s a moral tale going all the way back to ancient Greek culture. But seems to have only spread to the rest of Europe with Latin translations from the 15th Century onward. Eventually it made it all the way to England, in various English translations, where I remember learning about the story as a child. I can’t remember the specific version I was told, but I very strongly remember it’s warning about not lying. Since they will find out, brand you a liar, and stop believing what you say, even when it’s true!

The story has affected the English language itself and “to cry wolf” now means to say something false.

But sometimes it seems like there are people that have never heard this story. Or have forgotten it. Or completely misunderstood it’s message. They revel in the excitement of lies and exaggeration and the reaction they can get from society, the media and even the law. For a while at least. But are then surprised when their calls are no longer taken seriously, no longer get the same reaction, or even face legal consequences for their lies.

With mass media and social media, the effect of too many lies circulating around can now be societal in scale — not just a single village and a single boy. It’s important. I feel.

Is a poem going to change that? No. I don’t honestly believe any poem has that power. But I’ve liked dabbling in rhyme and metre for a long time. And I was also intrigued by this other idea that rhyme is an aid to memory. People remember catchy songs don’t they? I sometimes wonder whether more things should be expressed in rhyme and song as a proper educational tool — whether that would actually work? Certainly brands have no problem employing theme songs and catchy slogans to serve their own purposes. If this works, shouldn’t society employ it for better purposes?

Sadly it seems that the skills of songwriting and deep knowledge of any specialism today are rarely entwined into a single person. Endless songs about love — few about physics.

So that was a bit of a nebulous idea swimming around in the back of my head. Yet one night it crystalised on this story, and I produced a little poem on the idea. It’s strange how sometimes it feels relatively easy and other times impossible to write, isn’t it? Some value in the exact right combination of long experience and hot inspiration. Even at midnight, as it was.

I found out later others have produced their own poems and even songs on this story too. Alas I am not unique! Or does it mean it is good idea, if it is repeated several times over hundreds of years? Or is it a dead end that has been found before? If I ever read them before writing, I don’t remember. In comparison mine is quite distinct from the one I was able to find by Louis Untermeyer in 1965. I think the idea can stand a remake every 60 years?

With that preamble presented, perhaps you would partake of my poetry, named “Pelts and Apologies.”

Pelts and Apologies

There once was a shepherd boy who was ever so bored

Who for fun thought he could sow some discord

Cried out wolf when none were about

out came the town in search of wolf to rout

None were found, and shepherd boy did laugh

“Hear boy! Tell truth and don’t cause all this faff.”

Apologise he did, and hang his head,

That wasn’t enough for his mind of lead.

Thrice more he cried, twice more he lied

That last time was when he literally died

None did come to report of “ghosts”

Even when shepherd boy was true to his post

A wolf pack the size of which they’d never seen

Who took a dozen sheep and shepherd boy clean

A staff, some blood and some hair in mud

His mother prayed for all that she could

Out the town went, in hunt of the pack

With only pelts and apologies when they got back

So while many may believe your lies for a while

When your life needs truth, your fate may be vile

Written Fri 04 Jun 2025 — edited June 2025

As I said there have been other poems. I found another one by Louis Untermeyer in 1965 that is available on this blog:

The Boy Who Cried Wolf | Raynhalfpint’s Blog

Cheers and see you

:)

-R