The Crown That Canceled the Council

 When one bird wears every crown, the forest forgets how to fly free.

1

High in the crown of the tallest tree,

Sat a bird who declared, “It’s all up to me!”

Eagleton Goldcrest, with chest puffed so wide,

Called himself “Sovereign of Forest and Sky.”

2

He wore a gold crown (a bit much for a bird),

And flapped about loudly to make sure he was heard.

Each morning he shouted, “I know what is best—

And if you don’t agree, you’re a traitorous pest!”

3

The forest had run, since the very first sprout,

On something quite simple: The Council for Clout—

A gathering circle of wise, different critters

Who checked on each branch so no power turned bitter.

4

But the Crown didn’t like when the Council said “Wait,”

Or questioned his plans to control every gate.

“Who needs advisors,” he scoffed with a sneer,

“When I am the wisest from tail-feather to ear?”

5

So he canceled the Council, by royal decree.

“Go home!” he declared. “You’re too think-y for me.”

He replaced them with puppets and parrots on strings,

Who nodded and chirped, “Oh, how grand is our king!”

6

Now Flick was appointed “Head Minister of Cheer,”

While the Squirrel got a job in “Branch Scrubbing Near.”

They passed silly laws, like: “The Eagle is Tall,”

And banned any maps that weren’t shaped like his hall.

7

Owliver frowned from his quiet old perch,

For truth had been ousted right out of the church.

“Without checks and balance,” he hooted at night,

“A king sees no edge till he falls from his height.”

8

But Eagleton cawed, “You’re just jealous and slow!

The Council was blocking my genius-level glow!”

He drew up a chart with just arrows to him,

Then banned any creature who called it too slim.

9

He made signs that read “One Voice, One Nest, One Beak!”

And forced every critter to chant once a week.

Even bees had to buzz in a synchronized song:

“The King is Forever! He’s Never Been Wrong!”

10

But laws got confusing. And logs stacked up wrong.

No one knew who to fix when a branch broke too long.

The market went crooked, the dam overflowed—

And the worms all went missing from under the road.

11

The forest grew tangled in vines of one voice—

And Eagleton shrieked, “You all MADE this choice!”

Yet when critters asked, “Can we bring back the crew?”

He cried, “That’s insurrection! I’ll banish you too!”

12

Till one day the Council, now quiet but bold,

Reassembled in secret beneath the pinefold.

They made not a speech, nor a protestor’s squawk—

They simply rebuilt what he’d shattered with talk.

13

And the critters all saw how their forest once ran—

Not by one bird alone, but a whole forest plan.

And slowly they turned, feather, claw, hoof and paw…

Back toward the balance of forest-made law.

🎯 Moral of the Story:

A crown that fears questions will rule until the roots rebel.

✏️ Why I Wrote This

This fable is a direct parody of authoritarian power grabs cloaked in self-flattery and “efficiency.” It critiques efforts like Project 2025, which seek to replace institutional independence with presidential loyalty. By turning the entire forest into a one-voice echo chamber, the story shows how such centralization leads not to strength—but to chaos, stagnation, and eventual resistance. Children learn the importance of shared power and listening to others. Adults hear the echoes of history—and headlines.