Cross-Eyed Burro Love Poem by Liilia Talts Morrison

Once there lived a burro
he was not very tall
his fur was gray in color
he lived in a small stall
the burros of the village
made fun of his big eyes
when one looked east and upward
the other pointed west

Of course he was embarassed
and tried to hide his face
behind his mane of horsehair
or shades he put in place
at night he'd cry in sorrow
and wonder why it was
that one eye pointed yonder
the other stayed up close

One morning very early
while other burros slept
his right eye saw a viper
crawl in where chicks were kept
the snake thought this small burro
was looking someplace low
since his right eye seemed focused
on hay and straw below

The snake had no idea
that eyes could cross like sticks
so he was shocked and angry
to feel the burro's kicks
the other burros woke up
and saw what had been done
and hailed the little burro
as hero one by one

And then a strange thing happened
a first in burro tales
a pretty girl burrito
kissed him and he turned pale
he chuckled 'cause it tickled
she had his heart soon won
and then by some strange magic
his eyes looked straight, straight on.