Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, AT THE ZOO, by BURGES JOHNSON



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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

AT THE ZOO, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: It must be hard for you, porcupine
Last Line: Instead of my tiny self.
Subject(s): Animals; Children; Zoos; Childhood


It must be hard for you, porcupine,
To dress when the day begins!
I'm glad there aren't any clothes of mine
A-needin' so many pins.

But when I've been saucy and horrid too,
Or up to some naughty prank,
If I could only wear clothes like you
I'd be awfully hard to spank!

A snake's the funniest thing I know,
So dreadfully incomplete;
Without any arms where hands can grow,
And not any legs for feet.

But I wish I could crawl on the ground that way,
Or shin up the apple trees,
And not have nursie get mad and say
There's holes in my stockin' knees!

I'm glad I wasn't a monkey too!
It's jolly to watch you climb,
But you're fighting and biting the whole day through,
And chattering all the time.

But maybe a tail like that would be
An awfully useful thing
Up in our neighbor's cherry tree
On holidays in the spring!

You thin giraffe, if I was you,
I'd have a hard time, I spec';
For nursie would make a great to-do
A-washing my face an' neck.

But when the jam and the cookie-jar
Are hid on the highest shelf,
I wisht I was as tall as you creatures are,
Instead of my tiny self.





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