Oliver Herford Poems

The Dog is black or white or brown
And sometimes spotted like a clown.
He loves to make a foolish noise
And Human Company enjoys.
...

My Bed is like a little Bark,
The hatch is battened down,
And in the basket cabin dark
I sail away from Town.
...

THIS, Children, is the famed Mon-goos.
He has an ap-pe-tite ab-struse:
Strange to re-late, this crea-ture takes
...

THE Cow is too well known, I fear,
To need an introduction here.
If She should vanish from earth's face
It would be hard to fill her place;
...

There’s a funny little kitten that tries to look like me,
But though I’m round and fluffy, he’s as flat as flat can be;
...

When Human Folk at Table eat,
A Kitten must not mew for meat,
Or jump to grab it from the Dish,
...

The Lion does not move at all,
Winter or Summer, Spring or Fall,
He does not even stretch or yawn,
...

Watching a ball on the end of a string,
Watching it swing back and to,
Oh, I do think it the pleasantest thing
...

E is for Edison, making believe
He's invented a clever contrivance for Eve,
Who complained that she never could laugh in her sleeve.
...

When I grow up I mean to be
A Lion large and fierce to see.
I’ll mew so loud that Cook in fright
Will give me all the cream in sight.
...