Zebra Crossing Comes To Nought Poem by C Richard Miles

A research scientist, when drunk,
Decided he would cross a skunk
With snazzy, horizontal stripes
In blatant blacks and dazzling whites
With a charming, female zebra,
Hoping hard, it seemed so clever,
That their offspring would acquire,
With her vertical attire,
Graph-square patterned cross-hatched hides
But he wanted more besides,
For this far too clever fellow
Wanted now to play “Othello”,
So he chose to mate their daughter
(Though I doubt he should have ought to)
With a leopard, fur all spotty,
But this boffin, much too dotty,
Had to stop and count his losses,
Missing out on noughts and crosses,
For no beast of either sex is
Blessed with markings of dark X’s.