A Chicken For Plato Poem by Paul Hartal

Sleeping in a barrel and living like a dog,
Diogenes was born twenty five centuries ago
in Sinope, a city on the Black Sea coast.
 
One of the founders of the ancient Greek
Philosophical School of Cynicism, Diogenes
Saw free speech as the supreme human virtue.
Plato recognized the genius of his colleague
but regarded him as a " Socrates gone mad".
 
One early afternoon Plato delivered a lecture
about the qualities of man at the famous
Academy in Athens, the first university
in the Western world,  
which the eminent philosopher founded himself.
 
Diogenes attended the talk and at some point
he interrupted Plato: "But how do you define Man? "
Since the cynic was also well known as a prankster,
Plato gave him a pensive look.
"Well", said the great philosopher after a pause,
"Man is a featherless biped."
 
Diogenes grinned: "Really? "
But Plato did not answer.
 
The next day Diogenes walked into class
holding in his hand a featherless rooster
and presented Plato with the plucked chicken.
"What's the occasion? ",  asked Plato
with a surprised look.
 
"Here is your Man", said Diogenes.