THE COMPLIANT ZEBRA'S COMPLAINT
Please excuse me, God, I'm angry and indignant!
Here I stand looking silly as can be!
We were told to get ready for a party,
And to dress up for a jungle jamboree!
So black zebras got white stripes to wrap around 'em,
And the whites wore stripes of black to make 'em weird,
So by dressing for a party -- accidentally
All our zebra disagreements disappeared.
Where's the party? Where's the costumes for the others?
Where the lions wearing snowshoes and tall hats?
Where's the vultures and the turtles
In their technicolor girdles?
Where's the wedding gowns for porcupines and bats?
Yes, some snakes and birds seem dressed for celebration.
For the rest, I think, new costumes are a must!
And the great effect we're after
Is a lot more friendly laughter
That will give the jungle far more peace and trust.
So, dear God, we beg, please populate the jungle
With comic clowns and droll comediennes:
When we fill our mouths with chuckles and with snickers,
We're less prone to make a meal of our friends.
from the forthcoming book Prayers of 100 Animals A to Z, by William Cleary
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