living by the river,
was constantly inquisitive,
abruptly interrogative, and
quickly pleased.
-
All day,
his friends and family would hear him saying,
“Look at that!”
“What are you?” and
“Wow! That’s great!”
All day.
-
And the time came for the frog
to leave the river and
to explore the great grassland plain nearby.
-
And the frog saw the stripiest thing he’d ever seen.
“Look at that!” he exclaimed!
“What are you?” he asked, somewhat abruptly.
-
A zebra looked up,
startled at the somewhat impersonal intrusion, and
then looked down, and
took kindly upon the frog, and said
-
“I am a zebra, and
“I am the luckiest animal alive,
“Cos all day, I loll around in the sunshine,
“gaze at the beautiful scenery, and
“chew upon the sweetest grasses.”
-
Then the zebra lowered her head to the frog, and added
“Knowing that if a lion should approach,
“I can run faster than he can, and that
“my stripes passing through the blades of grass will confuse him.”
-
“Wow! That’s great!” said the frog,
who hopped away before the zebra could say anymore.
-
But afterwards, the frog wondered
what a lion was and
why the zebra had mentioned it.
-
And the frog saw the tallest thing he’d ever seen.
“Look at that!” he exclaimed!
“What are you?” he asked, somewhat abruptly.
-
A giraffe looked up,
startled at the somewhat impersonal intrusion, and
then looked down, and
took kindly upon the frog, and said
-
“I am a giraffe, and
“I am the luckiest animal alive,
“Cos all day, I loll around in the sunshine,
“gaze at the beautiful scenery, and
“chew upon the sweetest leaves from the tops of trees that no other animal can reach.”
-
Then the giraffe lowered her head to the frog, and added
“Knowing that if a lion should approach,
“I can swing the horns on the head, at the top of my long neck, and
“knock out any lion that dares to attack.”
-
“Wow! That’s great!” said the frog,
who hopped away before the giraffe could say anymore.
-
But afterwards, the frog wondered
what a lion was and
why the giraffe had also mentioned it.
-
And the frog saw the hairiest mane and the biggest teeth on anything he’d ever seen.
“Look at that!” he exclaimed!
“What are you?” he asked, somewhat abruptly.
-
A lion looked up,
startled at the somewhat impersonal intrusion, and
then looked down, and
paid attention to the frog, and said
-
“I am a lion, and
“I am the luckiest animal alive,
“Cos all day, I loll around in the sunshine,
“enjoying the beautiful scenery,
“knowing that, I, am the king of the jungle!”
-
Then the lion lowered his head to the frog, and added
“And I eat wide mouthed frogs.”
-
“Wow! That’s great!” said the frog,
who then pursed his mouth and said
-
“You don’t see many of them around these days!”