The Donkey
I had a Donkey, that was all right, But he always wanted to fly my Kite; Every time I let him, the String would bust. Your Donkey is better behaved, I trust.
The Ceiling
Suppose the Ceiling went Outside And then caught Cold and Up and Died? The only Thing we'd have for Proof That he was Gone, would be the Roof; I think it would be Most Revealing To find out how the Ceiling's Feeling.
The Chair
A funny thing about a Chair: You hardly ever think it's there. To know a Chair is really it, You sometimes have to go and sit.
The Hippo
A Head or Tail—which does he lack? I think his Forward's coming back! He lives on Carrots, Leeks and Hay; He starts to yawn—it takes All Day— Some time I think I'll live that way.
The Lizard
The Time to Tickle a Lizard, Is Before, or Right After, a Blizzard. Now the place to begin Is just under his Chin,— And here's more Advice: Don't Poke more than Twice At an Intimate Place like his Gizzard.
"The Donkey", copyright © 1961 by Theodore Roethke. "The Ceiling", © 1950 by Theodore Roethke. "The Chair", copyright © 1950 by Theodore Roethke. "The Hippo", copyright © 1961 by Theodore Roethke. "The Lizard", copyright © 1961 by Theodore Roethke. From The Collected Poems of Theodore Roethke by Theodore Roethke. Used by permission of Doubleday, a division of Random House, Inc. For online information about other Random House, Inc. books and authors, see the Internet website at http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/