The hippo from the banks of Nile,
How wide and winning is the smile
With which he does his simple best
In hippo language to suggest
The thought that stirs his inmost mind —
‘It’s time, I think, I supped or dined!’
And meals for hippopotami
Are weighty things, you can’t deny;
For when they’re babies you must buy ’em
Full thirty quarts of milk per diem,
And when they’re older, every day
A baby hippo can enjoy
His bath like any human boy,
And splash and splash like Billy-o!
He’s not — despite his name, of course —
The least bit like a river horse,
But much more like a river pig,
He is a harmless beast, and though
He is not beautiful, we know,
No doubt his mother thinks him so!
(Cicely Fox Smith)
More Poetry from Cicely Fox Smith:
Cicely Fox Smith Poems based on Topics: Time, Success, Name, Mind, Smiling, Beauty, Thought & Thinking, Horse, Babies- The Quest Of The Queen (Cicely Fox Smith Poems)
- Missing (Cicely Fox Smith Poems)
- The Rhyme Of The Four Strong Men (Cicely Fox Smith Poems)
- Resurrection (Cicely Fox Smith Poems)
- The King's Grief (Cicely Fox Smith Poems)
- The Three Ships (Cicely Fox Smith Poems)
Readers Who Like This Poem Also Like:
Based on Topics: Mind Poems, Time Poems, Name Poems, Thought & Thinking Poems, Beauty Poems, Smiling Poems, Success Poems, Horse Poems, Babies PoemsBased on Keywords: supped, dined, quarts, hippo, diem, hippopotami, billy-o