The Maple Alliance

Follow Maple as she builds a future rooted in wisdom, inclusion, and long-term vision. While Eagle blusters with short-term grabs, Maple leads a circle of creatures who trade, plan, and rise—together.

By Ross Boulton

(c) 2025

Comments welcome but please be kind.

rossboulto9.wixsite.com/the-trade-that-wasnat

🍁 Maple the Goose: A Data-Driven Dreamer

Up north where the maple trees glisten with dew,

Lived Maple the Goose in a nest with a view.

She studied the forest—took notes, made a chart—

For leading meant wisdom as well as good heart.

She measured the snowfall, she mapped every stream,

She tracked how the birds shared their seeds and ice-cream.

Maple believed that fair trade growing strong,

Must lift every bird—not just right what is wrong.

And perched in an oak with a scroll and a quill,

Was Owl, her advisor, wise, thoughtful, and still.

He hooted, “Your numbers are clear and precise—

They show we need fairness, and not just what's nice.”

🦅 Eagle the Bold: Short-Term Shouts

Down south on a cliff where the wild winds bite,

Lived Eagle the Bold with a loud voice and might.

He hollered, “I'm biggest! I lead with a glare!

I flap and they follow—why stop to be fair?”

He soared over ridges, demanded new tolls,

Ignoring the future, just chasing his goals.

He bellowed, “Trade’s mine! I’ll take what I please!

No need for spreadsheets or forest degrees!”

Then he spotted Goose-land, well-planned and serene,

And cackled, “I'll claim all that syrupy green!

Why tally sap trees or measure the ground?

I roar—and the riches come swirling around!”

🪶 Maple’s Composure Under Fire

Maple heard Eagle’s bold tariff decree—

She checked her forecast, and sipped maple tea.

She spotted the storm signs on graphs she had made,

But panic? Not Maple. She stayed unafraid.

Soon birds from the north began quietly speaking,

Of skipping the trips where his tariffs were peaking.

They stopped buying gadgets made high on his cliff,

And sought out new trade with a fairer uplift.

She called for a summit with stats and some snacks,

Where finches brought clipboards and ducks brought their quacks.

She showed how the short-term could lead to collapse,

While balanced trade systems leave none in the gaps.

Maple’s Mantra:“A trade built on trust stands the test of the years.

We share in the gains—and we share in the tears.”

Then Owl tapped a wing on the charts in full color,

And calmly explained what would happen with bluster:

"The forest could falter, the rivers run dry—

We need a long vision, not volume and cry.”

🌍 Maple Builds the Circle

First came the Tortoise, slow-stepping but wise,

With bridge plans and maps drawn beneath sunrise.“

Let’s trace every trail,” she said with a grin,“

So no bird gets lost on their way to begin.”

Next came the Dolphin with waves in her wake,“

We’ll link the wide waters with lessons we make!”

She charted the coastlines, drew tides on her fin,

And showed how trade works when all voices chime in.

Then marched in Ant with a hammer and string,“

Fair work,” she declared, “is a team-building thing.”

She rallied the workers from under the trees,

To draft up a system that lifted with ease.

Then Butterfly fluttered in colors so bright,

“Our stories,” she said, “turn wrongs into right.”

She painted their banners and sang of the past,

So lessons from failure and kindness would last.

Old Elephant came with scrolls worn and creased,

“A leader forgets, and the justice is pieced.”

He read out old laws from a ring of tree bark,

And carved in a charter to light every spark.

Then came the Bee, with her buzz and her books,“

If we track what we use, we protect all the nooks.”

She noted each flower, each drop, every hive,

To keep the whole forest both fair and alive.

🤝 A New Forest Pact

Together they met in the Glimmering Glen,

Maple and partners, the ants and the wren.

They drafted a pact where each voice had a say—

Not ruled by a roar or a grab-and-go way.

Each bird took a role, each beast shared a thought.

They governed with care—no power was bought.

No single bird shouted, “It’s mine, do it now!”

They voted with talons and fluffed out a bow.

🦅 Eagle’s Isolation

Far off on his cliff sat the Eagle alone,

Still guarding his taxes, his gold, and his throne.

“Why won’t they follow?” he muttered and brooded,

As wind whirled around him, his feathers uprooted.

He’d shouted and stomped, he had taxed and he schemed,

But the flock had moved on, and his kingdom had dimmed

.He saw them grow stronger with each passing day,

While his branch turned brittle, and friends stayed away.

He called for a meeting, he sent out a note—

But no one replied, not a chirp, not a quote.

He promised them favors, he shouted new rules—

But Maple’s new system had offered them tools.

The ants didn’t need him, the dolphins had trade,

The bees ran a market, the bridges were made.

His bluffing grew weaker, his speeches grew thin—

He ruled a high perch, but no one checked in.

His riches felt heavy, his echo too loud,

He watched from afar as they gathered in crowd.

And deep in his chest, though he'd never admit—

He missed being part of where all voices fit.

He thought of the meetings, the plans, and the charts,

The songs that the Butterfly sang from her heart.

He blinked at the glen with a tremble of wing—

Could power be more than just bossing a thing?

He stared at the stars, then glanced down below—

At bridges and markets and gardens that grow.

And though he was proud, a thought nestled in tight:

What if strong leadership meant sharing the light?

🌳 The Forest Moves Forward

Back in the glen where new saplings took root,

The circle of leaders gave trade a reboot.

They swapped goods with fairness, they worked side by side,

With charts and with stories and generous pride.

They taught and they listened, they governed with flair—

And Maple just smiled, light breeze in her hair.

The flock flew as one, with no fear of control—

For leadership now had a fair, common goal.

🧠 Who Would YOU Choose?

Now children, if someone shouts loud from the sky—Would you follow their flapping, or ask yourself why? Is power enough to decide what is fair? Or do wisdom and teamwork lift all in the air?

🦉 Owl’s Parting Thought:“Short wins may sparkle, but long plans outlast—Let trust be your compass, and think far, not fast.”

📊 Maple’s Forest Plan: Key Pillars

• Long-Term Stability: Plan for each season, not just today.

• Fair & Inclusive Trade: Make sure small birds don’t get pecked away.

• Environmental Care: Healthy trees = homes that stay.

• Collaboration: Talk, test, and fly the fair way.

• Evidence-Based Policy: Let facts and values light the way.

✅ Final Takeaway

In this feathered fable, Maple the Goose

Leads with compassion, not tantrums or abuse.

While Eagle still squawks with the thunder of now,

She leads with the future, the why, and the how.

Which would you follow? The one who shouts greed?

Or the one who plants wisdom and grows every seed?