Canary-Birds feed on sugar and seed, <br />Parrots have crackers to crunch: <br />And, as for the poodles, they tell me the noodles <br />Have chickens and cream for their lunch. <br />But there's never a question <br />About MY digestion— <br />Anything does for me! <br /> <br />'Cats, you're aware, can repose in a chair, <br />Chickens can roost upon rails; <br />Puppies are able to sleep in a stable, <br />And oysters can slumber in pails. <br />But no one supposes <br />A poor Camel dozes— <br />Any place does for me! <br /> <br />'Lambs are enclosed where it's never exposed, <br />Coops are constructed for hens: <br />Kittens are treated to houses well heated, <br />And pigs are protected by pens. <br />But a Camel comes handy <br />Wherever it's sandy— <br />Anywhere does for me! <br /> <br />'People would laugh if you rode a giraffe, <br />Or mounted the back of an ox; <br />It's nobody's habit to ride on a rabbit, <br />Or try to bestraddle a fox. <br />But as for a Camel, he's <br />Ridden by families— <br />Any load does for me! <br /> <br />'A snake is as round as a hole in the ground, <br />And weasels are wavy and sleek; <br />And no alligator could ever be straighter <br />Than lizards that live in a creek, <br />But a Camel's all lumpy <br />And bumpy and humpy— <br />Any shape does for me!'<br /><br />Charles Edward Carryl<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-plaint-of-the-camel/
