Once the Owl and the Pussycat head to sea
in Lear's beautiful pea-green boat,
in Lear's beautiful pea-green boat,
then the Quail and the Ridley's Bat, similarly,
vote to float, though preferring a moat.
When the Slug and the Tamarin opted, in lieu
of Lear's boat, for a British Rail train,
the Umbrellabird follow'd. Those three tourists swallow'd
their Dramamine. Terminus...? Spain!
The Vole and the Wallaby, as was their wont,
pack'd their gear in a Kevlar canoe.
But, instead of Owl's honey ("That gunk's wa-a-ay too runny"),
each one pack'd a gun...as have you.
The Xeme and the Yorkiepoo rode, in due course,
in a tub down a subsurface drain.
Then the hybridized Zorse, who's one pious ol' horse,
built an bark and begg'd Yahweh for rain.
The Auk and the Butterfly's catamaran,
though requiring a seven-man crew,
urged an alternate plan. "Seven can't, but two can,"
cried the Auk. Then he squawk'd, "Timbuktu!"
The Coot and the Dung Beetle fancied a yacht
which was once own'd by Ari Onassis.
But they couldn't afford it so never did board it.
How greener the neighboring grass is!
The Eel and the Firefly figured a raft
surely might, if steer'd right, prove superb.
Did not, way-understaff'd, Huck exploit such a craft --
if 'exploit' be the op'rative word...?
The Gnu and the Hammerhead gondolas craved
(they had each sev'ral pen pals in Venice).
Said the Gnu: "We'll be saved if that ark's well-behaved.
If it's not, what a maritime menace!"
The Iv'ry-bill'd Woodpecker opted to sail
'round the world with sails furl'd on his schooner.
"I'll go solo," he'd wail. "If my college tries fail,
ye shall see the worst, later or sooner."
Said the Jellyfish (quote): "I don't need no damn boat
to propel me through swells in the ocean.
With each pulse of my bell, I'm propel'd through each swell.
'Tain't no ship shows such hip locomotion."
The Krait and the Ladybug ferried by steamboat
along the Zambezi in style.
Said the Krait to his dreamboat, "This Edward-Lear-theme'd boat
has carried us many a mile...
"If the Mole and the Nightingale they, too, blue waters sail,
maybe all pairs will have guess'd
what the Owl, in the end, with his Pussycat friend
realized: Edward Lear be the best!"
For the Owl and the Pussycat went to sea
in a beautiful pea-green bateau,
while each subsequent pair, as they journey'd La Mer,
came to know: "There be no place like L'eau."
