HE knocked the bottom out of the pot
That had held the pencil-stew,
And held it in the air while five
Reluctant geese jumped through.

They said they burned their wings and feet
With the sides of the smoking pot.
He laughed, “Oh, nonsense! Now, my dears,
“We’ll try something really hot.”

SO he made a terrified goose jump through
A hoop all blazing alight,
While all the rest of the geese stood round
And screamed with all their might.

And he was just about to try
To teach them how to swim,
When all the geese made up their minds
They’d have some games with him.

THEY put him on a spit, to roast
Before a blazing fire;
And one fat goose with bellows blew,
To make the flame go higher.

He woke up shrieking with fear and pain,
And, as he cuddled down
Between the sheets, he vowed he’d never
Become a cruel clown.

HAS anyone heard of the wonderful race
Of the frogs and the greyhounds, the rabbits and cats?
They rode it on bicycles, sixteen in all,
And the umpires were pugs, with cigars and high hats.

And the number of each kind of racer was four—
Four frogs dressed in green, four rabbits in