Written on the eve of a summit between
the United States and China, this poem uses the allegory of two horses
competing over a feeding ground to portray the strategic maneuvers of great
powers and the anxiety imposed on the rest of the world. What appears to be
cooperation after confrontation is revealed as only a temporary compromise driven
by mutual interests. Through this animal fable, the poem satirically exposes
the fragility of trust and the enduring nature of struggles for dominance in
international politics.
A Mock Battle for the Feeding Ground
Two horses were tied together at the neck
with a rope.
Before them lay great piles of hay.
To eat, each had to pull harder than the
other.
Their equal strength only intensified their
hunger.
Unless one overpowered the other, neither
could feed.
If they remained locked in conflict, both
would only exhaust themselves.
At last, the two horses realized this and
moved toward each other.
“This will get us nowhere forever.
Why not eat together instead?”
“Indeed, you are absolutely right.”
After finishing one pile of hay,
the two horses neighed with satisfaction.
As they turned toward the second pile, they
murmured:
“This world is our feeding ground.”
From afar, a thin and weary horse watched
resentfully.
Unaware that its exclusion was the result
of its own conduct,
it continued raiding the feeding grounds of
neighboring lands.
With a thief’s
mentality, it proclaimed justice
and ruled with an air of entitlement.
The marauder of feeding grounds seemed
exuberant,
snorting proudly with inflated confidence.
Yet the two newly friendly horses
were still probing each other’s true intentions.
Because the untrustworthy are quickly
exposed in their lies,
their disguises may be stripped away at the
slightest change in provisions.
And so, lest they themselves become prey,
the feeding grounds live on in days of
constant apprehension.
Written on May 14, 2026. As talks
between the leaders of the United States and China began, I set out to observe
their contest of deception and strategy.