(57) April 21, 2010: The Animal Alphabet

THE ANIMAL ALPHABET

If you were as strong as a tiny ant,
You could carry a car, but I bet you can’t.

If you were a beetle fat and round,
You’d fly from the grass with a buzzing sound.

If you were as quick as an alley cat,
Instead of a ball you’d be catching a rat.

If you were a dog with a noisy bark,
You’d never again be afraid of the dark.

If an elephant had a nose like you,
He’d need a long straw to drink water through.

If, like a frog, you could jump real high,
You could leap over trees, and not even try.

If you ran out of grass for your pet goat,
He’d settle for boots and an overcoat.

If you had hair like the mane on a horse,
You wouldn’t go back to the barber, of course.

If you were a gentleman’s pet iguana,
He’d buy you a necklace and name you Rashawna.

If you were a jellyfish out in the sea,
Not jelly, not fish, but a plankton you’d be.

If you were a kingsnake, you would be king.
But a queen for a kingsnake? No such thing!

If you were a lion, Lord of the Pride,
You'd never be scared or have to hide.

If you like bananas and swing by your tail,
That makes you a monkey instead of a whale.

If you were a newt you'd live in a bog;
You'd look like a lizard but act like a frog.

If an octopus wanted to roller skate,
Two wouldn't do, he'd have to use eight.

If you're hearing an echo of just what you said,
It could be the parrot perched on your head.

If you were a bee-egg who ate Royal Jelly,
You’ve grown to be Queen Bee with eggs in your belly.

If you ate some stew and they said it was "Rabbit,"
Would eating that stew be your regular habit?

If you were a snail with one foot and a shell,
Your footprint would look like a slick line of gel.

If it is your 200th birthday today,
I’ll bet you’re the turtle who lives in the bay.

If you were a horse with a long sharp horn,
You’d live only in myths—you’re a unicorn.

If you were a vulture, circling the sky,
You’d be waiting for some poor creature to die.

If you are a warthog, of bacon you’re made;
Two tusks and a snout in the African shade.

If a swimming fish skeleton is in your aquarium,
It’s an x-ray fish; no need to bury him.

If you were a yak, a tall shaggy beast,
On high mountain grasses you’d happily feast.

If you were a zebra with white stripes and black,
You wouldn’t let cowboys ride on your back.

D. Edgar Lamp

www.TheDailyPoem.org #57
Rhyming Couplets