Friday, February 10, 2012

My Dad's a Hippopotamus (a poetry re-issue)

MY DAD’S A HIPPOPOTAMUS
by
Greg Pincus

My dad’s a hippopotamus.
He’s dad to quite a lot of us.
You think that’s strange? I don’t know why,
Since we’re all hippopotami.

We’re friends with a rhinoceros,
Who I think looks preposterous.
I’m glad that I don’t spend time bein’
Something so rhinocerian.

We live next to a crocodile.
He’s over there on his own isle.
He’s got big bumps on each short limb.
I’m glad that I don’t look like him.

We also know a chimpanzee,
The strangest creature that you’ll see.
Those gangly arms look out of place,
And I would never want his face.

Right nearby’s an ocelot.
He likes to mew and roar a lot.
With spots and splotches hard to miss,
I think he looks ridiculous.

But there’s one creature that we see
That’s most absurd. We all agree.
It comes to visit at our zoo.
And... oh... how sad! It looks like you.


For reasons unknown to me, this poem has been stuck in my head lately. I figured that was a good reason to re-post it (it first appeared here in April of 2008) You can see what else folks are up to if you head on over to the Poetry Friday roundup (hosted by Laura Purdie Salas).

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11 comments:

Polly said...

Love this...and so will my boys when they get home from school. Their dad makes a pretty good gorilla...

david elzey said...

love "bein'/rhinocerian" not a couple of rhymes i'll ever see again in my life. thanks for the re-run

Linda B said...

Oh, to see ourselves as others see us! Since I haven't seen this before, I'm glad you re-posted! I also like 'rhinocerian'. The smugness rings through, until it's slammed shut at the end. Love it.

Lee Wind, M.Ed. said...

I remember this one, but like an old friend, it was fun to re-connect - very fun!
thanks, Greg!
Lee

Ed DeCaria said...

Okay, I am admittedly turned off by the word "hippopotamus" in children's books and poems because I always feel like I'm about to read something very cliche, but this is really pretty good. I never caught the original, so thanks for putting it back up, Greg.

Enjoy your weekend!

-Ed

The Pen and Ink Blogspot said...

My dad claimed he as a Martian.
Sincerely,
Venusian Boy

Greg Pincus said...

Thanks, y'all. I admit that rhinocerian is one of my fave words I've put in a poem. (Well, it should be a word, even if it isn't.).

laurasalas said...

Ha! Hahahaha--love this. Some great rhyming pairs in here.

Ruth said...

What kid wouldn't love this poem? It's so much fun. "Rhinocerian" is my favorite, too.

Mary Lee said...

Very fun!

Are you going to join Ed DeCaria's March Madness? http://tinyurl.com/6wfbwsx

Flying Selki said...

I'm glad you posted it as it is one of my favorite rhinocerian poems!