THE VEGETABLE ZOO

The Red Pepper Princess and the Green Bean Queen

ate up all their veggies, both the red and green.

Now the Carrot Kid liked his pickles too,

and they all went together to the Vegetable Zoo.

They bought their tickets from a hot and fiery horse.

Do you know what he was made of? Horseradish, of course!

Overhead were fluffy clouds of whitest cauliflower

looking down on purple beet bunnies, doubling by the hour.

They spied Bibb lettuce butterflies on Brussels-sprouted bushes

where underneath hid squash snakes, squiggling on their tushes.

There were rutabaga rhinos running all around

dodging red radish roosters, popping from the ground.

One hundred giant cabbages made up the only elephant

(We won’t ask why–it’s hardly even relevant.)

They saw cucumber crocodiles swim thru a hoop

in a lake that was baked out of alphabet soup.

There were lettuce leaves on celery trees with sweet potato parrots,

and kangaroos, both big and small in suits of orange carrots.

I do believe they saw five lions–each an ear of corn

and at least three hundred pea hens, all just newly born.

The mashed potato pandas and the pumpkin polar bears

were kicking up their heels and knocking over chairs

as they pranced and twirled (‘til they could “bear-ly” stand,)

to the boogie woogie beat of the Broccoli Brothers’ Band.

A prickly pear porcupine? There’s one in every batch.

Can you guess who planted him in this veggie patch?

I suspect the mango monkeys from the Fruit Zoo just next door–

they love to play a trick or two to hear the animals roar!

What’s this I see? Could it be? A limpin’ lemur onion?

Oh, that’s what ails him–one giant onion bunion!

Off he must go to the hospital. The zoo has one most fine.

The Nanny goat nurses–cherry tomatoes freshly picked from the vine.

At the end of the day, it began to grow dark.

The zookeeper announced “Time To Close The Park.”

So the Red Pepper Princess and the Green Bean Queen

sailed back home in a zucchini submarine.

But what became of the Carrot Kid?

I hate to say this, but do you know where he hid?

He zipped himself up in a tasty pod of peas,

with his head sticking out just as big as you please.

He wanted to see what it was like after dark,

wandering  alone in the Vegetable Park.

The zookeeper wasn’t fooled by his disguise–

He knew those pea pods shouldn’t have eyes.

The Carrot Kid put up a terrible fuss

when up walked an okra hippopotamus.

“You must take him home,” the zookeeper said.

“It’s time he had dinner and was put to bed.”

The Carrot Kid and the hippo ran fast!

When they arrived at his house at last–

he waved “goodbye”, then was bathed and fed.

(Veggies, of course,) and he popped into bed.

Jan Chapman

July, 1999

Cast Of Characters:

The Green Bean Queen: my granddaughter, Paige Katherine Filby. Then age 8,–now 27

The Red Pepper Princess: my granddaughter, Patricia Ann Filby-Dowley. Then age 6,–now 25

The Carrot Kid: my grandson, ,Paul Filby Jr. Then age.3,–now 23

When they were 8, 6, and 3, they could recite my poem from memory at bedtime!

I like to think that this little poem is one of the reasons they love their vegetables!