STORY TELLING

Most every night when they're in bed,

And both their little prayers have said,

They shout for me to come upstairs

And tell them tales of gypsies bold,

And eagles with the claws that hold

A baby's weight, and fairy sprites

That roam the woods on starry nights.

And I must illustrate these tales,

Must imitate the northern gales

That toss the Indian's canoe,

And show the way he paddles, too.

If in the story comes a bear,

I have to pause and sniff the air

And show the way he climbs the trees

To steal the honey from the bees.

And then I buzz like angry bees

And sting him on his nose and knees

And howl in pain, till mother cries:

“That pair will never shut their eyes,

While all that noise up there you make;

You're simply keeping them awake.”

And then they whisper: “Just one more,”

And once again I'm forced to roar.

New stories every night they ask.

And that is not an easy task;

I have to be so many things,

The frog that croaks, the lark that sings,

The cunning fox, the frightened hen;

But just last night they stumped me, when

They wanted me to twist and squirm

And imitate an angle worm.

At last they tumble off to sleep,

And softly from their room I creep

And brush and comb the shock of hair

I tossed about to be a bear.

Then mother says: “Well, I should say

You're just as much a child as they.”

But you can bet I'll not resign

That story telling job of mine.