To the Baby Elephant

What a big little fellow you are, indeed!
   Such a baby I never did see before;
“Four hundred pounds!” I should think you’d need
   For that load of luggage a leg or two more.

An Indian baby from over the sea?
   You would beat “John Brown’s little Indian boys”
If you roll together in one, all three;
   But I guess they’d “tucker you out,” for noise.

They say these large leather aprons are ears,
   And this front tail is a trunk (or valise,
It’s small for a trunk); as a tail it appears
   Out of place on your nose! but, just as you please!

Next summer they’ll fix you a jungle, express,
   They’ll not let the tigers go out with you there;
But they might spare a monkey or two, I guess,
   To give things “sort of a” home-like air.

I hope your mother dear knows you are out,
   And that she will come over to see you some day;
She’d find, for your height, you are getting quite stout;
   Please do not indulge in much peanuts and hay!

They must watch you with care when you cut your eye teeth,
   For Ivory costs, and babies are dear;
You are nicer on earth than you would be beneath,
   And your skin with you in it will suit better here!