Why Nobody Pets the Lion at the Zoo
The morning that the world began
The Lion growled a growl at Man.
And I suspect the Lion might
(If he’d been closer) have tried a bite.
I think that’s as it ought to be
And not as it was taught to me.
I think the Lion has a right
To growl a growl and bite a bite.
And if the Lion bothered Adam,
He should have growled right back at ’im.
The way to treat a Lion right
Is growl for growl and bite for bite.
True, the Lion is better fit
For biting than for being bit.
But if you look him in the eye
You’ll find the Lion’s rather shy.
He really wants someone to pet him.
The trouble is: his teeth won’t let him.
For the punchline, go here.
I chose this poem in honor of our cat, Willie Morris, who sees a lion when he looks in the mirror. He has the same problem with his teeth and with being petted as the lion in this poem.
Elaine has the round up this week at Wild Rose Reader.
