A WAS an elegant Ape Who tied up his ears with red tape, And wore a long veil Half revealing his tail Which was trimmed with jet bugles and crape. B was a boastful old Bear Who used to say, -- "Hoomh! I declare I can eat -- if you'll get me The children, and let me -- Ten babies, teeth, toe-nails and hair!" C was a Codfish who sighed When snatched from the home of his pride, But could he, embrined, Guess this fragrance behind, How glad he would be to have died! D was a dandified Dog Who said, -- "Though it's raining like fog I wear no umbrellah, Me boy, for a fellah Might just as well travel incog!" E was an elderly Eel Who would say, -- "Well, I really feel -- As my grandchildren wriggle And shout 'I should giggle' -- A trifle run down at the heel!" F was a Fowl who conceded @3Some@1 hens might hatch more eggs than @3she@1 did, -- But she'd children as plenty As eighteen or twenty, And that was quite all that she needed. G was a gluttonous Goat Who, dining one day, @3table d' hote,@1 Ordered soup-bone, @3au fait,@1 And fish, @3papier-mache,@1 And a @3filet@1 of Spring overcoat. H was a high-cultured Hound Who could clear forty feet at a bound, And a coon once averred That his howl could be heard For five miles and three-quarters around. I was an Ibex ambitious To dive over chasms auspicious; He would leap down a peak And not light for a week, And swear that the jump was delicious. J was a Jackass who said He had such a bad cold in his head, If it wasn't for leaving The rest of us grieving, He'd really rather be dead. K was a profligate Kite Who would haunt the saloons every night; And often he ust To reel back to his roost Too full to set up on it right. L was a wary old Lynx Who would say, -- "Do you know wot I thinks? -- I thinks ef you happen To ketch me a-nappin' I'm ready to set up the drinks!" M was a merry old Mole, Who would snooze all day in his hole, Then -- all night, a-rootin' Around and galootin' -- He'd sing "Johnny, Fill up the Bowl!" N was a caustical Nautilus Who sneered, "I suppose, when they've @3caught@1 all us, Like oysters they'll serve us, And can us, preserve us, And barrel, and pickle, and bottle us!" O was an autocrat Owl -- Such a wise -- such a wonderful fowl! Why, for all the night through He would hoot and hoo-hoo, And hoot and hoo-hooter and howl! P was a Pelican pet, Who gobbled up all he could get; He could eat on until He was full to the bill, And there he had lodgings to let! Q was a querulous Quail Who said: "It will little avail The efforts of those Of my foes who propose To attempt to put salt on my tail!" R was a ring-tailed Raccoon, With eyes of the tinge of the moon, And his nose a blue-black, And the fur on his back A sad sort of sallow maroon. S is a Sculpin -- you'll wish Very much to have one on your dish, Since all his bones grow On the outside, and so He's a very desirable fish. T was a Turtle, of wealth, Who went round with particular stealth, "Why," said he, "I'm afraid Of being waylaid When I even walk out for my health!" U was a Unicorn curious, With one horn, of a growth so @3luxurious,@1 He could level and stab it -- If you didn't grab it -- Clean through you, he was so blamed furious! V was a vagabond Vulture Who said: "I don't want to insult yer, But when you intrude Where in lone solitude I'm a-preyin', you're no man o' culture!" W was a wild @3Wood@1chuck, And you just bet that he @3could@1 "chuck" -- He'd eat raw potatoes, Green corn, and tomatoes, And tree roots, and call it all "@3good@1 chuck!" X was a kind of X-cuse Of some-sort-o'-thing that got loose Before we could name it, And cage it, and tame it, And bring it in general use. Y is a Yellowbird, -- bright As a petrified lump of starlight, Or a handful of lightning-Bugs, squeezed in the tight'ning Pink fist of a boy, at night. Z is the Zebra, of course! -- A kind of a clown-of-a-horse, -- Each other despising, Yet neither devising A way to obtain a divorce! & here is the famous -- what-is-it? Walk up, Master Billy, and quiz it: You've seen the @3rest@1 of 'em -- Ain't this the @3best@1 of 'em, Right at the end of your visit? | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...TO A PRIZE BIRD by MARIANNE MOORE EPITAPH: FOR MY GRANDMOTHER by COUNTEE CULLEN PINE-TREES AND THE SKY: EVENING by RUPERT BROOKE SHIPS THAT PASS IN THE NIGHT by PAUL LAURENCE DUNBAR A LONDON PLANE-TREE by AMY LEVY |